Sensou Tenshi Usagi
by Midnight of Shadows
Summary: SM/GW Heero Yuy chances upon a strange girl on a routine mission & brings her along to begin a new adventure. Why is Usagi so important to Oz? And what caused the peace on Earth to be corrupted and start a new war?
1. Sensou Tenshi Usagi

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi)   
  


Midnight of Shadows *^_~*

  
  
  
  


            ***Click***

            ***Click***   
  
           Heero stared down the barrel of the gun to the girl holding it even as his own was directed at her. Her crystalline blue eyes and pink lips showed no emotion as they stared at one another. Wisps of blond hair framed her face as they escaped the long ponytail to join the bangs already there. A wry thought crossed Heero's mind and his lips almost twitched into a smile. 'Her braid is longer than Duo's.' For indeed it was, the long golden rope passing her knees and stopping above her boots.  
  


            Her brow jumped in annoyance as the silence began to adulterate the atmosphere, the two teens restless. Full lips opened to break the stalemate but he beat her to it.  
  


            "Who are you?" he said in his monotonous tone. Thin brows drew down as her lips pouted, emotion showing for the first time.  
  


            "I was about to ask the same of you," she replied coyly, her lips now curving into a smile of mild amusement, "But since you broke the ice, allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Tenshi." Heero didn't respond.  
  


            "Who are you soldier?" Heero allowed a frown to cross his usually stolid face.  
  


            "That's none of your damned business onna!" he growled. The girl frowned and her finger curled around the trigger.  
  


            "I gave you a name, you will use it when addressing me!" Heero glowered at her and curled his finger around the trigger also, prepared to fire in case she pulled anything.  
  


            "Do you work for Trieze?" he questioned, his face once again a mask. She took a step back. .  
  


            "That's none of your damned business," she mocked, anger dancing in her blue eyes. Such eyes would be her downfall for they showed every emotion she felt, a window to her soul. Heero took the time to inspect her and by the way her eyes roved, she was doing the same. She was wearing an all white leather body suit with no arms and no legs. An armored vest covered her upper body, the plate like sections were metallic blue and white and gold ringed around her waist with blue chain link shoulder straps. Her white calf length boots had blue soles and gold ringed along the top edges. A knife sat comfortably in her right boot, the black hilt contrasting greatly with her fair skin. His black combat boots, black SWAT style vest and black pants were complete opposites to her angel like motif.  
  


            She had white wrist guards that stretched from wrist to elbow and were ringed in blue on the edges. Heero had the feeling they housed a whole arsenal of thin weapons.  
  


            Around her well-toned thighs were blue metallic cuffs, one obviously her gun holster. A blue metallic choker was situated around her neck, a white crescent moon with gold wings behind it, the main design. On her forehead a strip of white cloth was wrapped, something peeking from beneath it.   
  


            Heero lost his concentration a moment as he stared at it and the girl struck. She ducked as he fired his silent sniper, her leg kicking the gun out of his hands and into the air. Quickly she stood and kicked him in the stomach, the hit effectively making him hit the wall, the noise echoing in the room. She caught his gun and pointed both weapons in her possession at him. Heero glared at her as he held his stomach and crouched, intent on jumping.  
  


            "Omae o korosu," he said darkly, his eyes emotionless as he uttered the words he'd been trained to do. The girl smirked and glared at him.  
  


            "Not if I kill you first," she whispered and shot him. Heero closed his eyes as the bullet passed through his arm and the pain hit him. Blood ran down his arm and splattered on the floor, the bullet lodging itself in the metal wall behind him. .  
  


            He snapped his eyes open a moment later but Tenshi was gone and with her, his only weapon.  
  
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Well that was nice huh?  Konnichi wa minna!  Welcome to Sensou Tenshi Usagi, or as I like to say STU.  If you haven't noticed, I've made just a few, tiny revisions to the following chapters.  I'd thought I'd proofread once more before continuing on.  I don't want to make this long so…till next time!


	2. Tenshi is who? and a WhAt!

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ II   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  


Wow you guys! I couldn't believe all the reviews I got for the first chapter after only one day! They put this big goofy grin on my face when I read them. Besides the one negative review I got *cough*omaeokorosu*cough* everything else was positive. Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I wasn't planning on finishing this but you guys gave me the inspiration to go on. Well here it is, chapter two! We'll see who Tenshi is (asifyoudidn'tknow) *^_~* 

   
Translations:

Nani? - What?  
Hai - yes  
No sewa o suru shiteki ni - Take care of it personally  
Iie - no   
(-kyo) - (-sir)  
Ni yotte dare? - by who  
shojo - girl  
Honto?! - really!?  
minna - everyone

  
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            "She just shot you and ran?!" exclaimed Duo. Heero glared at the blue-eyed pilot and continued to wrap his injured arm. Bloody towels and bottles of iodine littered the bathroom floor. Cotton swabs filled the blue plastic trash can, many brown with dried blood. The blue rug had been kicked into the corner near the tub when Heero had come into the bathroom, muttering curses and death threats to the absent Tenshi. That's when Duo had appeared, curios to know why there was blood in the halls and vile language coming from the bathroom. He stood in the door now, playing with his long braid while all the info Heero had told him sunk in. Heero's piercing Prussian eyes never swayed the god of death.  
  


            "If I have to repeat myself, I'll shoot you," he threatened. Duo looked at him oddly and burst into giggles. With a death glare from Heero he ran from the room, off to tell the others the *news*  
  


            "HEY YOU GUYS! HEERO GOT SHOT BY A GIRL!" Heero cringed as the shout echoed through the halls and mentally slapped himself. Why of all people did he tell Duo? The girl must have taken his common sense as well as his gun. He tied the bandage off and cleaned up the bloody towels on the ground. The wound had been superficial, not enough to seriously injure him. She either had good aim or he just got lucky.  
  


            Heero had taken no more than two steps outside the bathroom door when Wufei and Quatre appeared around the corner, followed by an impassive Trowa and a beaming Duo. Wufei was grinning evilly; he obviously had something planned. No doubt he came to mock the *perfect soldier*.  Heero glanced between the four teens and the window behind him in the bathroom. With one last look at Shinigami, he dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, the lock firmly latching in place. Shouts of protests and banging came from the other side of the door as Duo and Wufei hammered on it.  
  


            "You can't hide in there forever Yuy!" yelled Wufei.  
  


            "Yah!" Duo agreed.  
  


            "You guys maybe we should leave him alone. It's really none of our business," spoke Quatre quietly.  
  


            "Then why are you here?" growled Wufei. Quatre blushed, his blue eyes bubbling with innocence and looked at the ground as his toes dug imaginary holes into the carpet.  
  


            "I-I was just curious a-and worried," he stammered. Wufei snorted and turned to bang on the door once again.  
  


            "OPEN UP YUY! OR I'LL BREAK THE DAMN DOOR DOWN!"  
  


            "YAH WE'LL BTDDD!" cried Duo. Wufei blinked at him.  
  


            "Nani?"   
  


            Duo's grin broadened.  
  


            "You know...btddd...Break the damn door down! You should know, you just said it. Or are you too dumb to remember?" Wufei frowned and raised his fist.   
  


            "Shut up Maxwell or you'll be tasting fists of fury!" Instead of punching the chestnut haired pilot, Wufei slammed his fist into the door.  
  


            "**OPEN THE DOOR!**" he roared.  
  


            "Eh-hem," All turned to look at Trowa as he cleared his throat. Without even a hint of emotion, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. Duo grinned sheepishly.  
  


            "Now why didn't I think of that?"   
  


            Wufei growled and snatched the key from Trowa. Trowa resumed his careless stance and surveyed the scene silently. Wufei placed the key in the lock and swung the door open. Duo jumped into the room, prepared to pounce on the perfect soldier and torture him, but the room was empty. The only evidence left was a bloody towel on the ground and an open window.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  


            The girl's blond head snapped up as Treize entered the room. He was dressed in the blue Oz uniform befitting his rank and status. He smoothed down his brown hair with one hand as he took a seat in the plush chair across the wooden desk from her. She turned her attention back to her nails, studying them intently as he drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently.  
  


            "Tenshi," he spoke. Without even acknowledging his presence, she uncrossed her legs and slouched back in the comfy chair, her hands resting on the arms of the chair as she stared at the ground.  
  


            "**Tenshi**!" he said with more force. This time Tenshi did look at him, her sapphire eyes the quintessence of innocence and purity. Treize frowned at her as she looked at him blankly.  
  


            "Don't give me that look, you know very well what you've done," Tenshi dropped the pretense and frowned in distaste.  
  


            "Why did you make me wait in this stuffy old office for three hours? I have better things to do," Treize gazed at her sternly.  
  


            "Don't play dumb with me. You can drop the old angel act," She blinked at him. With a deep sigh Treize sat forward in his chair and leaned his elbows on the desk. He glowered at her, but she never cowered from him as others might have.  
  


            "Since you seem to have lost your memory, let me refresh it. 52 top secret files were stolen from the Charles air base last night, 3 of them containing information on the new mobile dolls. You ran away yesterday to only god knows where. The files were reported missing at 2:55 AM, two hours before you were captured. Now where are those files Tenshi?" Tenshi closed her eyes as her brow furrowed in annoyance.  
  


            "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said softly. Treize slammed his hand down on the desk and she jumped from his sudden action.  
  


            "Damnit Usagi I have no time for your games! I want to know where those files are!" Usagi gulped and shrank back in her chair. He was really pissed off this time. He never used her real name unless she was in deep shit or he was angry. Now it seems it was both.   
  


            "I already told you, I have no idea!" she said, her voice rising slightly. Treize sighed once again and sat back in his chair, his hands rubbing away the tension in his temples.  
  


            "Then explain to me," he began quietly, "Explain to me why the crews report seeing you there last night. Did you or did you not go?" Usagi's face remained cold.  
  


            "I did, but I didn't take those files," she answered coolly. Treize dropped his hands and folded them in his lap as he regarded her. She sat up straight in the chair, her fighting ensemble slightly miffed and her long blond braid disorderly, strands separating from the braid and falling around her heart shaped face. The white wrap around her head had fallen off and now her birthmark stood out proudly against her forehead. She had put up one hell of a fight when the men brought her in. Now she sat in his office, waiting to be interrogated and he fully intended to do that. He sat forward once again as he gazed into her eyes, forcing her to look him in the eye and answer.  
  


            "So your saying you had nothing to do with it?"  
  


            "Hai."  
  


            "Did you see anybody last night that looked out of place or suspicious even?" A flicker of emotion flitted across her eyes but faded just as quickly. Treize had seen it though.  
  


            "Iie," she lied.   
  


            "Are you sure?" he pressed. Usagi nodded.  
  


            "I'm sure. I saw no one," Treize was quiet a moment as he let this info sink in. She was lying; he knew she was. Her eyes gave her away. He didn't press her for more answers; she would only deny it all. He sat back and pressed a button on the intercom on the wall behind him. Seconds later five armed soldiers stood in the doorway. Treize turned his attention back to the blond girl in front of him.  
  


            "I'm sending you back to your cell for now. You're to remain there until either I call for you or you are needed for an assignment," Usagi glared at him, fire dancing in her blue eyes as the hatred she felt there displayed itself.  
  


            "Hai Treize-kyo," she hissed and stood up. The soldiers quickly surrounded her and led her from the room.  
  


            Treize sat in silence for a while, contemplating his next move. She knew something, but what, he didn't know. He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number.  
  


            "Lady Une, yes it's me Treize. I need you to retrieve some data from the Charles base. I want the surveillance tapes from last night. Also I want you to send Juniper. It seems our Tenshi is in need of some discipline. No sewa o suru shiteki ni."   
  
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            Heero walked into the hanger and approached Wing Zero cautiously, wary of Duo and the others hiding in there. It had taken him three hours to lose them, Wufei relentless in his pursuit. With skillful ducking and dodging he had successfully ditched them at the docks. Now he came to check on his gundam and report.  
  


            With adroitness well beyond his 16 years, he climbed atop the massive gundam and hauled himself slowly to the top. The gundam was in plane form now, the destructive weaponry not needed at the moment. He pried the planes top back and slipped inside, closing the hatch behind him. After typing in a few commands on the now active console board, a face lit up the computer screen in front of him.  
  


            "What have you got to report?"   
  


            "Mission successful," answered Heero in his monotonous tone, "Downloading data now." He placed a small disk into the slot in front of him and waited while the machine read and displayed the information. Dr. J. grinned in joy.  
  


            "Good work, any problems? Were you seen?" Heero nodded.  
  


            "By a shojo." Dr. J frowned.   
  


            "Did you kill her?"   
  


            "She escaped," Dr. J was quiet a moment as he contemplated the situation. It was then that he noticed the bullet wound on Heero's arm.  
  


            "Were you hurt?"  
  


            "Shot."  
  


            "Ni yotte dare?"   
  


            "Shojo," Dr. J's eyebrows lifted in surprise.   
  


            "Did you get a name, anything?" Heero nodded.  
  


            "Tenshi," Dr. J's eyes bugged.  
  


            "Honto?!" he said excitedly. Heero frowned.   
  


            "Why are you so pleased by this?" he growled. Dr. J coughed, embarrassed at having reacted in such a manner and became serious once again.  
  


            "My boy, you have met the one and only Tenshi, the last war angel," Heero's brows furrowed.   
  


            "What the hell is a war angel?" Dr. J chuckled.  
  


            "A wondrous spectacle the world is better off without my boy," Heero glared at the screen and the grinning doctor.  
  


            "Explain," he ordered. Dr. J took a deep breath.  
  


            "War Angels were female mobile suit pilots trained from childhood to kill. In the early stages of the war they were feared throughout. The faction that bred War Angels was Lincos, a third party in this war now long gone. Lincos did not want peace; it wanted universal domination. The Gundams were born from Lincos, as were the angels. War Angels destroyed whole civilizations and colonies without mercy, some even enjoying it. Lincos only bred 500 of them and from those 500 they selectively bred the next generation. Every war angel was recorded and kept track of.  They were so dangerous they weren't trusted. Soon War Angels rallied together and overthrew Lincos with sheer force. The war now had a dangerous enemy. War angels were mentally unstable, many treated to harsh break-ins as they were trained. For once Oz agreed to join with us and we hunted down every last angel. For the next 50 years we slaughtered them, killed them down to every last child. The last war angel was Hatsumomo Jiyana. Jiyana had denounced her title but since her mother was one, she was considered dangerous as well. Jiyana had a baby girl at the time but she met her fate nonetheless. It was during the capture of Jiyana that we split from Oz and became enemies once again. Oz was left to the termination of Jiyana, which they carried out. Rumor had it that the baby girl was allowed to live and raised by Duke Dermail himself. That was 16 years ago."   
  


            It was silent a while as Dr. J let Heero absorb all the information. Heero seemed unfazed by it all. Dr. J continued when no comment issued forth from the dark haired boy's mouth.  
  


            "Heero, if what you say is true, then Tenshi is a War Angel and the last at that. We now know that Treize has control of her. Oh we've known she was alive for quite some time and even sent a termination squad after her. They never returned. The girl was not reported as a troublemaker and we let the matter slide. Now it seems we shall have to do something about it."  
  


            "What's so bad about one girl?" Heero asked, the question leaving his lips before he could stop himself. Dr. J shook his head sadly.  
  


            "That my boy, I cannot say. We only try to prevent a catastrophe," Heero frowned. Dr J was speaking in circles.  
  


            "What are you talking about," he ordered forcefully, a note of anger in his tone. He was tired of all this pussy footing around of Dr. J's.  
  


            "Nothing. Think no more on it, we scientists shall dwell on this. For now, here is your new mission. Inform the other pilots for they are to accompany you as well," A mission log appeared on the screen. Heero quickly saved it to disk and Dr. J appeared once again.  
  


            "Be in the Sanq Kingdom by next week. The briefing will explain the rest. Good luck," and the screen went blank.

            Heero punched the screen in frustration and was greeted by the shattering glass. Blood ran down his torn arm and dripped onto the console.   
  


            'What are you are hiding from me,' the question rattled in his mind unanswered. Shaking his head to clear it, he exited Wing Zero and left to find the other pilots and inform them of the new mission.  
  
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            Don't worry minna, We'll find out how Usa ended up in the GW universe soon enough.  
  


            Since I'm here, anyone noticed that I changed the ages?  Tell me if you like so far and REVIEW! === That is the most wonderful thing on the web ever created!


	3. Live or die? Choose

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ III   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
You know what I find extremely perplexing? It took me a year to write 9 chapters of Crossover to my World and it took me two weeks to write three chapters of this! Tell me that's not strange.  
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            "Are you sure this is the right mission?" asked Duo while holding a sheet of paper in front of him. He flipped it over, turned it upside down and sideways to get a new angle on it. Heero tossed a backpack of supplies into the open cockpit of his gundam plane while Duo stood to the side, dressed and ready to go.  
  


            "Why would I give you anything besides the right one," he said between gritted teeth. Duo cheesed and folded the paper in four, stuffing it in his back pocket.   
  


            "Thought maybe you'd try and get rid of me. I know you're still mad about the picture incident." Heero frowned as he recalled the dreadful prank. Duo had hung pictures of Relena on every single wall in Heero's room. From roof to floor and door to window the pacifist queen of the Sanq Kingdom surrounded him. He damn near had a heart attack when he saw it. He'd been extremely pissed at the Deathscythe's pilot and almost killed him. Come to think of it, he was still mad, but now was not the time to get revenge. Missions were taken seriously.  
  


            Without answering Duo he climbed into the back of Wing Zero and closed the hatch. Flipping various switches and turning knobs he powered up the gundam. The countdown began as he revved the engines. He typed a few commands into the console and the newly replaced screen lit up to display the mission log.  
  
**@==New data received: RETRIEVE TOP SECRET FILES FROM ALPHA BASE 20290. PILOT ONE WILL INFILTRATE THE BASE AND GATHER THE KALONG DISK. IF ANYTHING SHOULD HAPPEN TO IT OR IF IT IS MISSING--ABORT. ONE COPY IS ALL THERE IS, TOP SECURITY AND AROUND THE CLOCK GUARD. PILOTS 02 AND 03 ARE TO DESTROY MOBILE DOLL STOCK. PILOTS 04 AND 05 ARE TO RECOVER WEAPONRY STOLEN FROM SANQ KINGDOM ARMORY. WEAPONRY STORED IN SECTION 6 OF THE ALPHA BASE. QUICK AND SILENT, DO NOT BE SEEN, KILL ANY WHO DETAIN YOU. WHEN ALL HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, BASE IS TO BE DESTROYED COMPLETELY, NO SURVIVORS.==@  
  
@==ACCEPT? =@= DECLINE?==@  
  
**

            Heero pulled the visor of his helmet down as he gripped the acceleration handles. The gundam exited the hanger, followed close by the other four and started down the runway. Heero glanced to the screen, mission log still on it, as they shot through the atmosphere. His blue eyes were cold and his face emotionless.  
  


            "**Mission: accepted.**"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


            The sound of her boots hitting the ground echoed in the halls of the base. Her braid whipped against her back harshly as she sprinted down the long corridor, the dim lighting making it difficult to see. Her breaths were labored and sweat dripped off her body only to be carried away on the wind of her momentum. Her vision was slightly blurred as she ran, the blond bangs matted against her forehead and making it difficult to see. The sounds of boots drummed behind her, the deafening noise only causing her to increase her already record-breaking trot. She rounded the corner and cursed as she had to spring over boxes, her stride never faltering as she landed and continued the pounding pace. The gun in her holster clattered loudly against her leg and wracked her nerves, but she couldn't stop to fix it. She had to keep going, had to get away. If they caught her....  
  


            She shuddered in fear as thoughts of what they would do to her flooded her mind. High treason, that's what she would be convicted for. And they had good reason too. No one dared to steal from Oz, no one, yet something had possessed her to do it. Her hand gripped the thin metal object tighter as she ran. All the risk, all the danger, for this. She knew it held the answers she sought, but if she got caught, she'd never find out.   
  


            She gritted her teeth as she approached the building nearby, the one she had come from only hours before. If she could only make it...  
  


            She put all her strength into her legs and dashed forward, slamming into the door and throwing it open. She closed it behind her and locked it. It was then that she took the time to breathe, gulping in air as the pain from her sprint hit her. She searched around the room frantically as the sound of boots approached. She had to block the door or they would find her. An old metal desk in the corner was her answer. She walked behind it and heaved and shoved until she got it against the door.   
  


            She stepped back to review her handiwork and realized it wouldn't be enough. If one girl could move it, certainly twenty oz soldiers could. Another examination of the room revealed an iron trunk full of bullet shells, and a cast iron cabinet full of expired files. She added these to the door. It was after she moved the cabinet that she noticed the door in the wall.   
  


            Knowing it to be the only way out, she opened the door and stepped out as a multitude of footsteps approached the blockaded door. Fear once again arose in her as she heard the door being rammed and she shot off down the hall, not heeding caution or exercising common sense in the dark corridor.   
  
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            "Kuso!" Heero stepped back from the computer in anger as he slammed the keyboard down. Gone. It was gone. The whole thing. The whole file was gone, the one and only copy removed and any data of it on the CPU erased. This was bad. If the disk was missing then the mission was a failure.  
  


            Heero backed away from the computer and headed through the open door. There was nothing he could do now; he had to abort the mission. He peered out into the dark hall and started down the dark doorway, his mind running with a million and one questions. Where was the disk? Had Treize moved it to another location? If not Treize, then who? Who had gotten it to it before him? Where was it?  
  


            So preoccupied in his thoughts he didn't even hear the sound of boots hitting metal ahead of him. Before he knew it, a blond haired girl appeared out of the darkness, her speed too fast to stop in time. He braced himself as they collided.  
  
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            ***BAM***  
  


            Usagi's vision swam as she ran into the boy and they landed on the ground. She lay on top of him for a while, her muscles too sore to move. Prussian met sapphire as their gazes met, so close they were nose to nose and she froze in recognition. With a surprised yelp she sprang off him. He rose up slowly and dusted himself off, never taking his glare off her.  
  


            She took a good look at the boy, her eyes sweeping over him as he stood before her. It was him, the one she had shot. The one she had seen the night of her capture. He was the one who stole the files, she knew, it had to be him. Only an enemy would want them. If he stole them then that makes him an enemy of....  
  


            A light of understanding flicked in her head and hastily she pulled an extra gun from beneath her armor, his gun, he noted.   
  


            She rushed up to him and shoved two items into his hands, him not even flinching as her hands encircled his. Her sapphire eyes gazed into his own, pleading with him to accept her offering.  
  


            "Please take this," she choked out, her breathing labored from running so hard, "Take it and go! Please!" With a gentle squeeze of her hands she separated from him and stepped back several feet. Heero's head whipped around as he heard footsteps approaching from the other end of the hall. The girl gasped and he looked back at her, but she was already sprinting down the hall again, not even glancing back.   
  
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            He looked between the direction she had gone and the one she had come from. With a final glance he tore off after her, it being the only suitable way out. The girl was already far ahead of him, her slim legs taking her further and further away. He rounded a corner as she continued straight, obviously running in desperation. He was back in the room where the disk was supposed to be, the window he'd climbed in still open. He looked out cautiously and hopped out, dashing in the opposite direction towards the hanger where his plane was stored. He took the time to open the thin metal object as he ran and stopped dead in his tracks as he read the label.  
  


            This was it. The disk. The girl had it all along.  
  


            **KALONG **stood out in bright red letters against the white cover of the minidisk. Why? Why did she have it and why had she given it to him?  
  


            He resumed running and soon was at the hanger. He paused in the doorway to peer inside and his eyes focused to the darkness.   
  


            'Damn,' he thought. Four soldiers were around his gundam, poking at the plane and asking questions amongst themselves. Heero pulled his gun out and checked the clip for bullets. There were four left. He had to make this perfect or the whole mission would have been for naught. Quietly he placed the gun in his sweats behind his back where the low light would be unable to shine off the metal and betray his presence. Stealthily he crept into the open door, keeping to the shadows as he searched for the best way to approach them. He studied their movements, noted the way they held their rifles and shifted amongst one another. They had no radios on them. This meant they hadn't reported the unusual plane yet. At least one good thing was happening. A closed door was on the opposite side, obviously the way they had entered.  
  


            As quietly as possible he left the obscurity of the wall and headed towards the soldiers. Their backs were turned, even better. Slowly, inch by agonizing inch, he came closer, intent on getting the perfect shot. If he could get near enough he could take out the four in no time.  
  


            The soldiers never turned as he neared. He was only ten feet away. A little closer....  
  
***_squeak_***   
  


            The soldiers whipped around as the rat squeaked, scurrying by Heero's foot and running for the walls. Heero froze, knowing he was trapped as the soldiers raised their rifles and aimed at him. There was no way he could outrun that many bullets. Of all the bad luck....  
  


            "Identify yourself!" shouted a soldier as he cocked his rifle.  
  


            "Raise your hands and step into the light or prepare to be terminated!" Heero stepped back. A rifle cocked as a soldier raised it higher on his shoulder.  
  


             "You have five seconds,"  
  


            Heero reached behind his back...  
  


            "One,"  
  


            He closed his hand around the gun...  
  


            "Two"  
  


            He pulled the lever until a click was heard...  
  


            "Three,"  
  


            Slowly he drew it from the waistband in his black pants...  
  


            "Four,"  
  


            His hand tightened around the trigger...  
  


            "Fiv-"  
  


            The soldiers whipped around as the door flew open. It was the girl, her body heaving for air and her eyes wide as she surveyed the scene. The troops froze for a minute, surprised to see her.  
  


            ***BANG*BANG***  
  


            Two dropped by Heero's gun. The other two were shocked into action.  
  


            ***BANG***   
  


            One shot the girl, a syringe hitting her in the stomach. Tranquilizers. The other turned his rifle on Heero, but the pilot was gone. He swung around bewildered and never saw the blade until it was firmly lodged in his throat, the black hilt standing out against his skin as he hit the floor. The other raised his rifle and shot the girl again, this time hitting her in the side as she tried to dodge. He turned to flee but stopped as something cold rested on his temple. His wide brown eyes stared into cold blue ones as sweat rolled down his forehead and into his eyes.  
  


            "Boo," whispered Heero and pulled the trigger. Blood and brain scattered everywhere, some of it splattering on Heero's gundam. Heero stepped back as the lifeless pilot fell forward, his body hitting the ground with a thud.  
  


            "Oh kami," Heero whipped his head around to stare at the girl, her eyes full of horror. Blood was splattered on her white armor, tarnishing the angel image. She stood slowly to her feet and shakily walked towards him. He never moved as she came closer, her legs wobbling as she became weaker. Tears streamed from her blue eyes and rolled down her fair cheeks. Tears of horror, tears of shock.   
  


            She stopped in front of him, clutching her stomach in pain as wide eyes stared into his own.  
  


            "It's you," she whispered and promptly passed out. Without knowing why, he caught her, her lithe frame resting against him as he wrapped his arms around her small waist. He stood there for a moment, listening as her shallow breaths echoed in the large hanger.  
  


            What now? His mind told him to leave her. She would only impede on his mission, hold him back. He reached up an arm and tilted her head back, brushing the sweat matted bangs on her forehead back. A brow arched in curiosity as he spotted the glowing crescent moon. What the hell was she? Dr J never said anything about War Angels having crescent moons on their foreheads. What should he do with her? If he left her here she would be destroyed with the base and no longer a problem. If he took her, than maybe he could find out information, figure out the mystery behind her. She might have valuable secret information that would help in this war.  
  


            With that last thought he made up his mind. He hefted her up in his arms and over his shoulder. Careful not to harm her, he boosted up onto his plane and opened the cockpit. He didn't sit and instead remained standing as he activated it. He pressed the blue button.  
  


            With a display of mechanics shifting and weapons positioning, the plane changed into the Wing Zero gundam. It was then that he placed her on the floor behind his seat and took his spot in the driver's position. He put his helmet on and activated the booster rockets. The gundam blasted out the hanger and into the space sky, the hole in the hanger creating a vacuum to any thing left inside. He pulled a control from his pocket and flipped the top back. A red button glowed and he positioned his thumb over it. With one last glance at the base, he pushed the button.  
  


            *BOOOOO**OOOO**MMMMMM**MMMM*** *BAAAAA**AAANNNNNNN**NNNNNNG**GGGGGGGGG**G*  
  


            The base exploded in sections, all courtesy of the explosives planted there. Heero swung his gundam around and headed towards the deeper sectors of space, knowing the others were on their way home.  
  


            Suddenly a vid link popped up on his screen. Duo's panicked face appeared, his features melting into determination as a blast was heard in the background.  
  


            "Heero get your ass up here now! There's some new type of Mobil Dolls up here and they're hitting us hard. Trowa's already lost both arms on his Heavyarms and Wufei's Altron isn't fairing too well either. We're surrounded!" Heero's hard expression never faltered.  
  


            "How many," he said, his voice flat.   
  


            "Fifty, maybe sixty now, and more still coming. We never counted on the base being this protected. That disk you have must be pretty damn important." The screen shook as Duo's gundam was hit. He gritted his teeth and turned his head.  
  


            "Haul ass Yuy!" he growled and blinked out.   
  


            Heero speeded up and blasted through the atmosphere. He was greeted with a sight he never hoped to see. Dozens and dozens of Mobil dolls surrounded the gundam pilots. Duo hadn't been kidding when he said the situation was bad.   
  


            Heavyarms was indeed fairing unwell, both arms nothing more than debris floating in space. The only weapon left was the army knife, but even that would become ineffective sooner or later.  
  


            Altron had lost part of the armor on it's back, the alloy melted down to the circuits. Still, Wufei used his beam trident to take out suits left and right. It did no good, for any suit he took down, two more took its place.   
  


            The god of death plunged his gundam into a pack of suits, his scythe taking them out by the dozens. Pieces of armor crashed into various other mobile dolls and caused massive damage.   
  


            Quatre was fighting for all he was worth, but five dolls tackled his gundam. Heero piloted Wing Zero over to Sandrock and blasted two of the dolls. The other three turned to face him and met a sound blow to the heads. Maneuvering the arms, Heero punched through two of them and kicked out at the third. Quatre finished it off with a rocket blast. The blonde's face appeared a moment later on Heero's screen.  
  


            "Thanks Heero," he said smiling and blinked out. Seconds later he rushed over to Trowa who was steadily being pounded. Heero whipped his gundam around as ten mobile dolls rushed upon him. He gripped the handles and set a grim face. Time for battle.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Things were not going good. Heero gritted his teeth as blood dripped into his eyes. They were losing sorely, almost to the point of being obliterated. Trowa had gone offline some time ago, most likely knocked out cold. Wufei had undergone a major head injury, barely able to stay conscious. Quatre was defending the weaponless Heavyarms, his own gundam bashed repeatedly. He wouldn't hold out too much longer. Duo was nowhere to be found. A thick pack of Mobil dolls exploding soon turned him up. His scythe was the only weapon with energy still left, but even that was wearing down fast. The bright glow of energy had dulled. Heero was left with one last weapon, his last resort. His weapon supplies were low. He could take out the rest of the dolls but he only had one shot. He could use his beam cannon.  
  


            'If I miss, we're doomed,' the thought loomed ominously in his head. It was indeed a huge risk. His energy reserves were down to 15 percent, just enough to operate the cannon, but he only had one shot.  
  


            Heero was brought out of his thoughts as an explosion caught his attention. It was Duo. Two dolls had crashed into Deathscythe, tearing off a piece of chest armor and an arm. Moments later, he went offline, the gundam nothing more than a lifeless husk floating in space. Heero pulled up the stats screen. There it was, Duo's heartbeat, irregular and weak, but still going. He was semiconscious. Wufei's jumped erratically while Trowa's was barely discernable. It seemed only he and Quatre were still good. Quickly he made up his mind. One shot was all he had.  
  


            "Quatre," he said through the link, the blond pilots face appearing on the screen, "Gather the others together and get behind me. I got one shot at this. If I miss, get out of here" Quatre's eyes widened in horror.  
  


            "Heero that's suicide! You can't!" Heero's eyes remained cold and his face emotionless.  
  


            "I don't care," he said and Quatre was taken aback.  
  


            "Heero, if you miss you'll die. Don't do i-" he was cut off as Heero blocked the link. He waited awhile and finally Sandrock gathered the idle gundams, helping Altron over to Deathscythe and Heavyarms and all gathering together in a group behind Wing Zero. Heero's jaw clenched as he focused on the advancing dolls. Perfect, they were all together, their numbers greatly reduced. Where there had been 200 before, there were now only sixty. Heero gripped the handle to fire and tensed his body.  
  


            "One shot," he whispered and fired.  
  


            **BWOOM**  
  


            The beam shot away from his gundam and he watched in horror as it sailed past the dolls, only taking out two.   
  


            He missed.   
  


            The one shot he had, he missed. He bowed his head in failure as anger surged through his veins. Suddenly his head whipped up and grim determination lit in his eyes. Only one thing left to do. Slowly he reached his hand out and placed it on the red button.   
  


            Last resort.  
  


            For the first time in his life, he hesitated.   
  


            Why now? After years of being the perfect soldier, why hesitate now? He mentally slapped himself and raised his hand. With a final breath he lowered it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AAAAHHHHHHHHHH cliffhanger! Thought it'd be interesting to leave yall in suspense. Well stayed tuned. Is Heero gonna self destruct?   
  
Review please! I want at least 10 reviews before the next chapter.  
  
I promise it'll be good! Peace  
  
Midnight of Shadows ~ email me Quimon7@hotmail.com if you don't fell like reviewing and instead wanna say sumthin personal.  
Warning: flames will be disregarded, printed, and burned. *cheez*  
*^_~* 


	4. Juniper Has a Surpise

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ IV   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: _Nappa and Radditzu drag a hand cuffed Shorty down a hallway full of angry lawyers and nosy reporters. A few feet later, they throw her in the courtroom. Shorty glares at the retreating backs of the saiyajins and turns her attention to the judge, only to gape in shock._  
  
**Shorty**: Piccolo -san?!!?  
**Piccolo** _fixing white wig_: Nani? I'm the judge. Don't even bother to ask how I got here. _blinks in disbelief_ Egads! You're tiny!!! Not even five foot!! *_cough_* Ahem....On to business....  
  


_Piccolo opens a folder and several papers fall out. He puts on a pair of glasses as he reads one in particular_.  
  


**Piccolo**: Midnight of Shadows aka Shorty, you have been charged on three counts of writer's misconduct, each time a failure to add a disclaimer to your fanfic series "_Sensou Tenshi Usagi_" How do you plead?  
**Shorty** _shamefully_: Yuzai no. (Guilty)  
  


***SLAM*** _Shorty jumps as he slams his pendulum down_.  
  


**Piccolo**: Shorty, do you own Sailor Moon, it affiliates, and any merchandise companies associated with this anime?  
**Shorty**: No.  
**Piccolo**: Do you own Gundam Wing, it affiliates, and any merchandise companies associated with this anime?  
**Shorty**: No.  
  


_Piccolo leaves the room and comes back ten minutes later_.  
  


**Piccolo**: The court has reached a verdict. _Holds paper up for all to see **GUILTY** in big red letters on the page. Puts it down to read from it._  
**Piccolo**: Shorty, for failing to put disclaimers in the first three chapters of this fanfic and thereby unintentionally assuming ownership of Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing, this court of anime sentences you to one night in a prison cell with Chiba Mamoru, Relena Peacecraft, and the dubbers of the SMS season.  
  


***SLAM***  
  


**Shorty**: I**IIIIIEEE**EE**EEE!!!!!! ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!!**  
**Piccolo**: Guards take her away.

  
_Radditzu and Nappa grab a struggling Shorty_.  
  


**Shorty**: MATTE!! _They stop_.  
**Piccolo**: Nande?  
**Shorty**: Can I say one thing before I go?  
**Piccolo**: What is it?  
**Shorty** _grinning_: Piccolo-san...DAI DAI DAI DAI **DAIIIII SSSUUUUKKKKKIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!**  
**Piccolo**: **AAAHHH!!!** I HATE THAT SONG! GET HER OUT OF HERE NOW!!  
  


_Guards drag a still singing Shorty away_.  
  


**Piccolo** _mumbling_: Damn Gohan and his songs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Had to get that out! *grinz* On with the story....  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


            ::Stop::   
  


            Surprisingly Heero did, the voice in his head gentle and kind. Something soft and warm settled on his wrists and pulled his hands away from the destructive button. Rational thought left his mind as the person restraining him moved his hands towards the weapon controls of the gundam. It was when he felt steel in his palms that he came back to reality. Angrily he tried to turn around and attack his captor. He couldn't move. His head was free and he craned it around to glare at...  
  


            "Tenshi?!" the statement left his mouth and his jaw hung open as he gaped at her. Sure enough, Tenshi stood behind him, soft blue eyes full of benevolence as a smile lit up her face.  
  


            ::Let me help you:: he knew now who was in his mind, the tone pleading with him to accept, a voice he'd heard only too often of late. He started to rebuke her but stopped as something bizarre occurred. Her eyes...they were glowing. The blue irises were all that remained, white and blue eyes, the black gone from them. (AN: like 1st time she became Prin. Serenity)  
  


            "What are you doing," he stated, his voice toneless once more. Tenshi's smile fell as the corners of her lips tilted down. Two crystalline tears escaped from her depthless eyes as she closed her hands around his on the controls. The crescent moon on her forehead began to glow, the golden color radiating to spread over her whole body. Heero watched in morbid fascination as the golden glow crawled along her arms, over her hands, and onto him. Surprisingly, he felt a tingle of something, energy.   
  


            *BEEP BEEP*  
  


            Heero's head whipped around to look at the monitor. The energy level, it was rising! 15%....20%....35%.. and so on. It reached 50 but didn't stop there. 75%....85%.....95%.....100%. His gundam was now at 100% operation level.  
  


            What the? Just a few seconds ago he had used the last bit of energy to fire that cannon, and now he was 100% operational?   
  


            'Did... did she do that?' his mind stuttered. Inside he was a wreck, his brains scrambled. Outside he was a statue, not letting on that he was indeed freaked out, as Duo would say. He didn't have time to ponder as an even more bizarre thing occurred.  
  


            'BEAM CANNON ACTIVATED' the words blared in his mind even as he looked at the screen. Tenshi was still holding onto him, her face a mask such as his own. Her eyes were still glowing as were the rest of her body. The gundam's arm lifted as it positioned the cannon. The Mobil dolls were still massed together, obviously preparing to blast the gundam pilots away. With one last squeeze of her hand, the cannon fired.  
  


            ***BWOOM***  
  


            Instead of being a controlled beam of power, it all came out in one huge continuous blast. This time it didn't miss, blowing up dolls left and right. Some of the dolls managed to escape from the pack, but as if it had a mind of it's own, the gundam followed them with the massive blast, incinerating them with the beam of pure energy. Heero felt the strain of exerting so much energy, felt as the girl shook in concentration behind him. With one final burst of energy, the canon stopped firing.   
  


            Silence.   
  


            Not a single doll was left, not even a single part of them floating in space. It was as empty as space could be. Heero looked around in wonder, then turned his head to look at Tenshi.   
  


            "How did you-" he never got to finish as she slumped forward and fell, her skin pale. Heero caught her before she bumped her head on the controls. He stared at her face, the crescent moon now gone. Now what?   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "Nice work Mr. Yuy," Heero's head snapped up as a face appeared on the screen. His arms tightened around the lax girl in his lap as he glared at the woman in the vid link, her face deep in shadow.  
  


            "Who are you," he demanded, his monotone voice making it sound like a threat. The woman chuckled, her blue eyes, the only part of her he could see, shining with mirth.  
  


            "Straight to the point aren't we Mr. Yuy?" he said nothing. The woman cleared her throat in embarrassment.  
  


            "Anyway, Mr. Yuy, you'll find out soon enough. For now I suggest you and you're fellow pilots return to the Sanq kingdom. All will be explained then. See ya," and she blinked out. Heero only stared at the blank screen for a while before returning his attention to the girl. She had fallen unconscious again, her breath slow and irregular. Whatever she had done a moment ago, she had exerted most of her energy. He set her upright in his lap so her head rested on his shoulder. If he moved from his seat to put her back where she was earlier, he would lose control of the now fully powered gundam. This would have to do for now. He unstrapped his seatbelt and rewrapped it around the two of them.   
  


            Heero grimaced as he maneuvered his arms around her to reach the control. This was going to be a long trip. His gundam seemed to agree with him as it lurched forward, the metal joints creaking.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Heero sat in the dark room, the only sound coming from the sleeping form on the bed, her gentle snores filling the room. He sat away from her on a chair, hand resting on his gun while the other propped up his chin. Lost in thought, his mind raced back to the events of the day and what had brought him here.  
  


            Shortly after the woman had blinked out, Duo had popped up, seemingly awake now. Heero unblocked his vid link from Quatre and the blond pilot's face appeared on the screen also, worry and awe etched into his blue eyes. Duo had awoken right before Heero destroyed the mobile dolls, Trowa also from what Quatre told him, and wanted to know the deal. Quatre wanted to know why Heero blocked him out. After getting a glimpse of the girl though, all previous questions left their minds to be replaced with new ones, like who she was and how she got there. Heero glared at them and told them to report back to base, then blasted off, leaving Quatre to help Trowa and Duo to help Wufei. It would take them a long time to gather their missing pieces and get back. After arriving on Earth, he came to the Winner mansion and put his gundam away. Now he was in his room, waiting for the girl to wake up and answer his questions. Who was she really? And what was she up to? He needed answers. He didn't like being left in the dark.  
  


            So caught up in his thoughts, he never noticed his eyelids drooping. In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            _Darkness surrounded her everywhere as a harsh wind whipped the dainty wings around her naked form. Her golden hair fell from the buns and cascaded down her back, the waves of hair tangling with the white feathers. Her eyes wept eternal tears, ones that would never go away. She shivered and hugged herself tighter, the tears on her cheeks freezing in place. With another blast of wind, the frozen tears disintegrated and floated away, the small particles twinkling. A sob escaped her throat and she collapsed in the black void, shuddering in emotion as she rocked back and forth. She wished someone could hold her now, hug her and tell her she did a good job. Tell her everything was going to be all right, but that was impossible. No one could be there to comfort her; no one would come to her rescue this time. Cries of torment escaped her throat as she buried her face in her hands.  
  
_

            _ 'Minna, why did you leave me,' the darkness gave her no answers, only continued to taunt her with its menacing emptiness. Devoid of life, no soul survived here. She was alone.  
  
_

            _Alone. The word rang in her head like a hammer striking metal. Alone. Alone to die.  
  
_

            _She squeezed her eyes shut as the implications came forth. She didn't want to die alone. She didn't want to be alone the rest of her life either. Never again would she see their faces, hear they're laughter, or hug them when they needed comfort as she did now. Never again would they spend hours together just enjoying one another's company, enjoying the power of love. Never again would they be there for her.  
  
_

            _'I don't want to be alone for eternity,' She buried her face in her hands as she cried once again. Her anguished sobs echoed in the void, the sound alone expressing the desolation of the place.   
  
_

            _***:***Hahaha***:*** Her head snapped up as the gentle laughter sounded. Who was there? She stood to her feet, her legs shaky. Her wings spread out and exposed her naked body; her never noticing the wind had stopped blowing. A light shone in the distance, the warmth it radiated a promise of something. Slowly the light grew until it encompassed her completely, bathing her in it's warmth and purity.  
  
_

            _***:***You won't be alone for eternity. We'll see you again***:*** the voice...it sounded so familiar, and yet again, it didn't. Still it filled her with hope, caused tears of joy to spring to her eyes.  
  
_

            _'A promise?'  
  
_

            _***:***Yes***:***   
  
_

            _Yes. More tears chorused down her cheeks as the promise was made. A promise. Her lips curved into a smile of pure bliss, the tears still falling. With a sigh of happiness she took a final breath and gave up the ghost._  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Usagi awoke with a start, her heat racing as she struggled for a breath. With shaking hands she reached up to her cheeks and pulled her fingers away, her eyes widening in shock as the wetness glistened in the dim light. Had she been crying in her sleep? A drop landed on her open palm and confirmed her answer. She wiped them away furiously, trying her best to remain in control of her emotions.  
  


            Why would such a dream make her cry? Who's voice was that? She lay in the bed awhile, her mind still reeling from the vivid dream. It had all seemed so real. The wind, her tears, the laughter, it all seemed only a memory. 'Nonsense,' she chided herself, 'I'm not dead, I'm alive.'   
  


            She suddenly froze as a thought struck her. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was....**kami!** Her hands clutched her stomach in panic, fully expecting to find bullet wounds there. A sigh of relief escaped as her fears were calmed. She was fine...at least for now.   
  


            She needed to figure out where she was. She rolled and sat up on the edge of the bed. How did she get here? She looked down at herself and discovered that she was still fully clothed, her armor smudged with dirt and her boots still on. Was she back at Treize's compound?   
  


            A second later she renounced the notion. She wouldn't be in bed if she was back with Treize, she would be dead. Bed? How did she get in a bed, and whose bed was it? Her sharp eyes looked around the small room she was in and locked onto the sleeping boy in the chair.   
  


            It was him...Again.   
  


            Usagi rose from the bed slowly, not wanting to wake him up. Was he going to kill her? He certainly looked the part, his hand resting on the gun as if waiting for her arousal. She approached him slowly. If she could get his gun and get out of there, she wouldn't have to worry about him.  
  


            Her eyes studied him awhile, his normally harsh face relaxed in sleep. He was still in the black sweats and green tank she remembered seeing him in. His breath came in slow, measured paces. Even though he was in the most awkward position, he still managed to be in a deep sleep. He must have been as exhausted as her. Slowly she brushed the chocolate colored bangs from his forehead, the motion natural, as if she'd done it before. He stirred slightly, his fingers loosening the grip on the gun. With practiced fingers, Usagi reached for the gun and wrapped her hand around it while watching him for any movements.  
  


            The light flicked on.  
  


            "Who are you?!"  
  


            Usagi glanced back to see who had spoken and when she found she couldn't, turned her attention back to the boy. Prussian and sapphire blue clashed, their gazes locking as his hand tightened the grip on the gun. Usagi backed away in surprise as Heero rose to his feet.   
  


            "Going somewhere," if it was meant to be sarcastic, it certainly didn't sound that way. Usagi glanced to the doorway again, but a black haired boy blocked it, his black almond shaped eyes somewhat bewildered. A movement caught her eye and she looked at the other boy again, him motioning with his gun for her to sit back on the bed. Seeing no other alternative, she complied, flopping on the bed and crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at her *captor* expectantly, no doubt he wanted answers. His face remained calm even as his eyes bored into her own.  
  


            "Who are you," she frowned in annoyance.  
  


            "I already told you, my name is Tenshi," he glared at her.  
  


            "Your real name,"  
  


            "I said-"  
  


            *CLICK*  
  


            "Tell me or I'll shoot you," Tenshi looked at him coolly.  
  


            "Go ahead, I've been shot before," Heero was quiet as he thought a moment. Obviously the threat of being shot had no effect on her. An idea suddenly popped into his mind and he lowered the gun.  
  


            "Tell me...or I'll turn you into Treize."  
  


            ***gasp*** Her eyes widened as her mouth hung open.  
  


            "You...you..."she stammered, then took a moment to calm herself, "You wouldn't!" Another glance at him told her he would indeed do it.  
  


            "Try me," he threatened, "Now who are you," She took a deep breath, debating whether to answer. Her eyes darted from the boy, to the gun, to the boy in the doorway, and finally she relented. Anything was better than Treize.  
  


            "Alright already, my name is Usagi," Heero placed the gun in his waistband. It was then that Wufei butted in.  
  


            "What's going on Yuy?" he asked, his eyebrow cocked. Heero ignored him.   
  


            "What were you doing with the disk," Usagi stared at him blankly.  
  


            "What disk?" Heero looked unamused. Usagi looked down at the ground in shame, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. This wasn't Treize; this boy wouldn't overreact like the older man might have.  
  


            "I don't know," she whispered, the reply sounding sincere. For some reason Heero didn't believe that. People don't risk death to get something for no reason.  
  


            "Yuy, who is she!?" Wufei was getting tired of being ignored. Heero gave him the death glare but Wufei didn't care.  
  


            "A prisoner," he answered finally, one eye on Wufei and the other on the girl, an odd talent of his. Duo thought it was creepy. Speaking of the braided wonder, he just so happened to pick that time to burst in the room.  
  


            "Hey Heero there's some woman at the door for yo-" he stopped as he came upon the awkward scene. Heero and Wufei were glaring at each other and a blond girl was sitting on the bed, her cheeks slightly flushed. Duo grinned.  
  


            "If you're a *cough* busy, I can come back later," Duo grinned at the girl mischievously, winking and causing her to blush even more. Heero as usual was unaffected.  
  


            "What woman?" Duo's attention came back to his original mission.  
  


            "Some chick with these really weird eyes. She came to the front door asking for you. Quatre tried to tell her he never heard of you, but then she named you by your first and last name, plus your gundam! Then she named every single one of us and our gundams!" Duo was quiet as Heero took in the new info. Finally Heero motioned to the girl to stand up and stand next to him, and then turned back to Duo.   
  


            "We're coming," he turned to the girl, "You're coming too."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Duo bounded into the room ahead of the others and sat in the chair next to Quatre at the large dining table. The woman sat opposite them, her head covered in a hood as she bowed it over a steaming cup of tea. She evidently hadn't said a thing since he'd left. Quatre looked at Duo expectantly.  
  


            Well?" he asked when Duo didn't take the hint. Duo sat back in his chair, teetering it on two legs as he put his feet on the table and arms behind his head.  
  


            "They're coming," he said, his mind elsewhere. Something was clearly bothering him.  
  


            "Duo what's wrong?" Duo stared at the blond pilot for a moment before answering him.  
  


            "You ever notice people with blue eyes have a thing for Heero?" Quatre blinked.  
  


            "What do mean?" Duo looked up at the ceiling.  
  


            "Well there's Relena, and we all know what her deal is, then there's Zechs, he's always trying to kill Heero, that other blond chick he's got upstairs, what a looker, and finally there's me," Quatre frowned.   
  


            "You have a thing for Heero?"   
  


            ***BAM*** Duo jumped up from the floor, rubbing his head in embarrassment as his cheeks turned red.  
  


            "N..no...I mean he's my best friend and all...well sort of and he's always threatening to kill me!" He picked up his chair and sat in it again, this time properly. Quatre thought on it a moment and frowned in puzzlement.  
  


            "But you don't have blue eyes, they're violet," Duo shook his head while chuckling.  
  


            "Why does everyone think that! They're not violet, they're cobalt blue....see," and he zoomed his face up close so Quatre could indeed look. Quatre's eyes bugged.  
  


            "Hai, you're right, they are blue," then he frowned again as a new thought struck, "But I have blue eyes and I don't have a thing for Heero," Duo threw back his head and laughed.  
  


            "Ya, Quatre, but you're normal, everyone else is weird!" They both looked up as they heard the woman chuckling. She looked up from her cup of tea, her ruby red eyes shining with mirth.  
  


            "Speak for yourself Mr. Maxwell," she said while smiling. Trowa, who sat on the opposite side of Quatre, spoke up then. His injured head had been wrapped in a white bandage, half of it disappearing beneath his long bang.  
  


            "They're here, lets get started," indicating with his head towards the three others entering the room. Heero took a seat next to Duo. The girl was about to take a seat on the opposite side of the table, but Heero grabbed her arm and forced her onto the seat next to him. She slouched in her chair and pouted, her arms crossed, as he whispered something in her ear. Duo raised an eyebrow.  
  


            "A little possessive aren't we?" Heero gave him the patented death glare and Duo backed off. Wufei took a seat next to the ever silent but observant Trowa. Surprisingly, it was Trowa who sprang the first question.  
  


            "Now Miss, would you care to explain yourself? What are your reasons for being here?" The woman cocked an eyebrow in amusement, though they couldn't see it.  
  


            "My my Mr. Barton, and here I thought you were the silent one," her tone one of mild amusement. Trowa's stone expression never faltered.  
  


            "I'm only silent when I need to be," It was obvious he would say no more. The woman sat straighter in her chair and put her teacup aside.  
  


            "Well it's only right I introduce myself first," and with steady hands she pushed her hood backed. Usagi gasped.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "Juniper!" she cried and sprang up from her chair. She would have bolted through the door if Heero hadn't tackled her and pinned her to the ground. She struggled to get free but he was much stronger, not to mention heavier, than her. She finally stopped writhing when he glared at her, his cold blue eyes freezing her in place.  
  


            "You will sit here and listen and refrain from any more escape attempts....Do I make myself clear?!" He trembled slightly with controlled emotion, his jaw clenched in anger. Usagi gazed up at him with hard eyes, her own glare a match for him.  
  


            "That woman," she hissed venomously, "That woman works for Treize!" Heero was silent a moment as he stared at her. In one swift movement he was on his feet, pulling Usagi up with him, his hands on here wrists. He pulled her up against him, twisting her wrists up to his chest as he lowered his mouth to her ear.  
  


            "I don't give a damn who she works for. She is going to give us some information and when she's done, I'm going to kill her," he whispered heatedly in her ear. He watched as her shoulders untensed and she visibly relaxed, the desire to fight gone for now. Heero released one of her wrists, using the other to pull her back to the table and take a seat. He ignored the questioning looks Duo gave him and nodded to the woman.  
  


            "Continue," he ordered. The woman nodded in acknowledgement, her lips curving into a slight smile. She unsnapped the cloak from her shoulders and neatly set it in her lap, giving them a full view of her. Her hair was a beautiful wave of gold silk, the ends fading into a vibrant scarlet. It flowed freely down her back. The bangs were split style, wavy as the rest of her hair and left a clear view of her ruby red eyes. They held the look of someone who had seen many things. With a gracefulness acquired with patience, she folded her hands in her lap, her green dress contrasting greatly with her pale skin. She stared Usagi right in the eye, never averting her gaze as the younger woman glared at her.  
  


            "Usagi is right in a sense, I am known as Juniper to many, but my real name is Galaxia." She waited for a reaction from Usagi, but there was none. 'Her memories are locked away better than I thought,' she turned her head to look at the assembled boys one by one.  
  


            "I'm here for a reason, sent by my associate to do a favor and fulfill a mission. Mr. Yuy has already met her, the woman with the blue eyes. I can't tell you her name right now, and I'm doubtful if you will ever find out," she waited for them to say something, anything. Finally Duo reached behind him and pulled a gun from his waistband. With a thud he set it on the table, the item alone voicing his thoughts.   
  


            "Continue," he said icily, all playfulness gone from him. Galaxia cleared her throat. She deliberately looked at Usagi, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears.  
  


            "Usagi, for my role as Juniper, I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. I had to make sure you were strong enough this time, I had to prepare you."  
  


            "What do mean *this time*? Prepare me for what?" Galaxia's eyes gazed at her fearfully.  
  


            "For the second coming," she whispered, "He has awoken once more, and this time he is twice as powerful. He wants you," Usagi leaned forward in her chair.  
  


            "Who wants me?" she asked, a hard edge to her voice.  
  


            "Chaos." Duo suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. Galaxia looked at him bewildered, wondering what he thought was so funny. Smiling widely he spoke.  
  


            "You're kidding right? Everybody knows Chaos ain't a thing. It's everywhere!" Galaxia shook her head sadly. Poor uneducated fools.  
  


            "You are true in a sense Mr. Maxwell, Chaos ensues everywhere. It's in the air we breathe, the food we eat and in the hearts of everyone. But there comes a time when the balance is disturbed. Too much Chaos can lead to catastrophe. When there is so much chaos in the world, it is able to take shape, escape from the bonds set upon it by the laws of heaven. It's power grows and as it does, so does Chaos's grip on reality. It is able to define what it is......in this case, a he."  
  


            Duo was completely lost, and by the look on Wufei's face, so was he.  
  


            "I don't get it," said Duo. The woman was about to answer him but Quatre beat her to it.  
  


            "In other words Duo, when things get out of hand, this thing called Chaos becomes real and takes on the role it believes is strongest in this world, or in other words, man," A light of understanding flicked on in Duo's head and a smile twitched at Wufei's lips.   
  


            "Thank you Mr. Winner." Quatre nodded politely while smiling. Heero interrupted the friendly exchange.  
  


            "You still didn't answer Usagi's question. What do you mean by *this time*? I take it this has occurred before?" He didn't believe a word she had said yet, but he was curious to hear what she had to tell before he killed her.  
  


            "Yes, it has. The first time it happened, Usagi was able to put it in it's place, in the process healing me and restoring balance to the world," All eyes turned to look at the girl, but she was as lost as them.  
  


            "What are you talking about? I've never met anything, let alone fight something, like this Chaos. Have you lost your mind?" Galaxia sighed and sat back in her chair.  
  


            "You remember nothing then? Sailor Moon? The Sailor Senshi? The Moon Kingdom? You remember none of it?" Usagi stared at her incredulously. This woman was completely nuts! Her blue eyes narrowed to slits, filled with hate and anger.  
  


            "I have no idea what you are talking about ***Juniper***, or whatever you call yourself and quite frankly I don't care. I hate you and everything you represent, and anything you have to say is irrelevant because I don't give a damn!" Galaxia suddenly sat forward, her ruby red eyes glaring with such venom Usagi actually shrank back a little. Galaxia bared her teeth.  
  


            "Do you know how much I despise you?!" she hissed, "Do you know how long I've had to suffer because of you?!" Heero cast her a warning glance and Galaxia suddenly calmed, sinking wearily into her chair. Tears brimmed in her eyes and one ran down her cheek.  
  


            "Forgive me Princess. I didn't mean it," Usagi could only stare at her wide eyed, still in shock from the woman's sudden outburst.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
CLIFFHANGER!!! EEEIIIII!!!  
  
**Wufei**: Woman! Must you always announce the obvious!  
**Shorty**: *cheez* Of course! It wouldn't be right if I didn't!  
**Nappa**: Hey you!! No conversing with the prisoner!! Leave now!  
**Shorty**: Wu-chan please don't leave me with......**THEM!!** *sob*  
**Wufe**i: Did you just call me Wu-chan?  
**Shorty**: *_blink_* Ya....why?  
**Wufei:** Bye. _leaves_  
**Shorty**: **NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!**  
  
I want to take the time to thank all those who emailed me about the Author's Expressions. I emailed anyone back who left their email address and anyone who emailed me personally. To those I didn't get, thanks for your support! You guys make me feel really good about expressing my opinion. At first I wasn't going to write this chapter for a long time cuz I was feeling low, due to that review, and I had writers block. Thanks to Traci for helping me on the WB bit. I used one of her ideas, not completely, but part of it. As for the feeling low part, I read all those wonderful reviews and it gave such an inspiration to keep going! I hope yall like this chapter.  
  
Midnight of Shadows ~ email me Quimon7@hotmail.com if you don't feel like reviewing and instead want to say sumthin personal.  
Warning: flames will be disregarded, printed, and burned. *cheez*  
*^_~*   
  



	5. Fugitives on the Run

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ V   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Minna forgive me for taking so long to get this chapter out. I had to deal with things in my life that seemed couldn't be delayed. I'm up to my ears in schoolwork, I have to baby-sit a little girl whose mama is handling court matters and I just don't have time to write anymore. Anytime I get on the net it's to do research. Not to mention I've kind of lost a taste for writing this fic. Probably due to certain characters I'll refrain from naming.   
  
**WARNING:**  
In the story ahead, I changed a lot of things in the SM universe, bear with me people. Also this chapter ends kind of weird, I'll try to make the next one better.  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: _Three figures stand outside a huge jail building. One is tall with short blond hair, wearing a sailor outfit of blue and gold. Another girl is dressed from head to toe in black like a ninja, only her eyes peeking through slits in the mask. The last is a boy, decked as the girl is only without a mask. His black hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail_.  
  
**Traci**: Here's the plan. Haruka...you blow up the wall...the attack should take out the dubbers and Chiba and Relena, if Shorty hasn't already. Wufei, you and I will get her and get out of there. Haruka will hold off the guards. We make this break fast and simple...Got it? Any Questions?  
**Wufei**: Why do I have to do this again?  
**Traci** _growling_: Cuz if you don't I'll let Shorty call you Wu-chan for the rest of the series!!  
**Wufei **s_huddering_: Let's get this over with.  
**Haruka**: WORLD SHAKING!!  
  


_The wall explodes and leaves a huge pile of rubble. Among the rubble are dead dubbers and a mauled Chiba and Relena. Wufei frowns as they pick their way to the back_.  
  


**Wufei**: Why'd they put her in here anyways?  
**Traci**: She forgot to add disclaimers to the first three chapters.  
**Wufei**: Disclaimers for what?  
**Traci**: Disclaimers saying she doesn't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. Miru! There she is....I think.  
  


_Shorty is huddled in a corner, a black cape wrapped around her as she chants..._  
  


**Shorty**: Peace, Peace, Peace, Peace.....Let's stop the fighting and have Peace!  
**Traci**: Shorty? Daijobu ka?  
  


_Shorty jumps to her feet, the cape billowing behind her._  
  


**Shorty**: IT is I...Tuxedah SHORTY!! Believe in yourselves and the battle will be won!!  
**All: O_O; -_-; O_o;**   
**Wufei**: She's cracked.  
  


_Haruka steps forward_.  
  


**Haruka**: Come on...we got to get you outta here!  
**Shorty**: Amara?  
**Haruka**: Haruka  
**Shorty**: Amara?  
**Haruka**: Haruka  
**Shorty**: Amara?  
**Haruka**: HARUKA!!  
**Shorty**: Amara?  
**Haruka**: FOR THE LAST TIME DAMNIT...IT'S **HARUKA!!**  
**Shorty: 0_0***_blink_* Where's your cousin Michelle?  
**Haruka**: GRRRRRR!!!  
**Traci**: *_sweatdrops_* Let's just get her out of here. C'mon China doll...we got an author to recuperate! _grabs Shorty and runs from the building_  
**Wufei** _mumbling_: Why me?.......AND MY NAME IS WUFEI!!!  
**Traci:** Whatever Wu-babe! *_giggle_*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
To those of you who've only seen the SMS series on Cartoon Network, you might not get the *cousin* joke about Michelle.  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ V   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


            "Pr....Princess?" she stuttered, suddenly paling, "Wh....why did you call me princess?" Galaxia's eyes suddenly shined with something akin to hope. Maybe...maybe she did remember.  
  


            "Usagi, you are the princess. Serenity-hime of the Moon Kingdom, thousands of years ago. You remember now?" Usagi shook her head in denial.  
  


            "Masaka! It doesn't exist! It's not **REAL**!" Usagi was screaming now, tears beginning to glisten in her azure eyes. Galaxia pressed on, oblivious to the girl's discomfort.  
  


            "Quite the contrary Serenity....it's real. It's as real as the room your in now. From the look in your eyes, you know I speak the truth," the silence that followed was deafening. Galaxia stared at Usagi intently, her ruby eyes searching for some form of recognition in the girl's blue. Usagi was at a loss for words.  
  


            "This means then, your memories. Are they returning? Are your visions becoming more powerful during the day and rendering you helpless, or nightmares leaving you terrified? Tell me Usagi, do I speak the truth, or do I lie?" Usagi gazed at Galaxia, a tear running down her cheek as emotion shined brightly in her eyes.  
  


            "H...Ho..How? How do you know all this? I never told you what my visions were or my nightmares? How?" Galaxia sighed finally and only then did she sink back into her chair.  
  


            "Let me start at the beginning, when it all began, for only then will you have any hope of understanding," she took a deep breath and her gaze flickered over the assembled pilots, Heero in particular. So involved in her discussion with Usagi, she'd forgotten they were in the room. Now it seemed it was time to make a choice. They had no idea what they'd gotten themselves into by taking charge of the young woman. Pity arose in Galaxia. She wouldn't let them be dragged into this war unwillingly, not like she'd been. She would give them a chance to decide their own path.  
  


            "One piece of advice to you pilots. Unless you want to get involved I suggest you leave now. The information I'm about to reveal is top secret. You'll be put into great danger just by having knowledge of the situation. This business mainly concerns Usagi and I. It's really none of yours. I don't wish to put innocent lives in the path of disaster for the war that will ensue soon will surely injure you, if not cost you your lives." She looked each boy in the eye, watching as indecision danced there. Her gaze finally came to Heero and his prussian blue held anything but doubt. They revealed determination and acceptance. His jaw clenched as his hand tightened on the gun.  
  


            "This is our business. **Usagi** is now our business. We became a part of this the moment you stepped in the door and we're not going to back out now."  
  


            The statement held all the truth she needed. She looked at each pilot hopefully.  
  


            "Does he speak for you all?"  
  


            "Hai, I agree," it was Trowa, his visible jade eye showing no emotion. It seemed his acceptance prompted Quatre to join.  
  


            "Hai, we are apart of this too," Galaxia nodded and then turned to Wufei and Duo, both silent until now. Duo glanced between Usagi and Galaxia uncertainly, the notion weighing heavy in his mind. Finally his cobalt blue stared into Galaxia's ruby.  
  


            "I don't know what's going on here, and I don't particularly fancy dying after all this time I've been alive, but to back out now would be timorous, and Shinigami is no coward. I agree." All heads turned to Wufei. He frowned in disgust.  
  


            "I don't believe this weak onna, but what other choice do I have? Stay behind and hide? There's no honor or justice in that. I fight, till I die. Hai onna, I agree." Usagi could only gape at them with shock. They would stay with her? Elation ran through her being, the promise in their words not missing her.  
  


            To say Galaxia was moved would be an understatement....she was beyond grateful...she was overjoyed. She didn't let the grin tickling at her insides show on her lips. She had made the right choice. They wouldn't abandon the princess, not now. A breath of relief did mange to escape her and her shoulders relaxed.  
  


            "Well then, as I said before, I'll start from the beginning. Bear with me, it's a long recount of **_history_**," She'd purposely said history and not story to inform them that all of it was true. Finally with a deep breath she launched into the long tale of the Silver Millennium, the downfall of the Moon Kingdom, the rebirth of the Princess and her fellow senshi, and the moment leading up to the final days of the last battle. (_AN: I don't think I have to go into detail there! :)_  
  


            Several times she had stopped to sip at her cooled tea and catch her breath. Other times she'd paused to dab at tears in her eyes or wait for a reaction from Usagi who took it all in with a straight face. There was none.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "Now I come to the final battle, where everything went wrong. First off, you, Usagi, Eternal Sailor Moon, destroyed all the animamates. I became seriously angered by this and retaliated by killing princess Kakyuu. The starlights were overwhelmed with grief and tried to fight me alone. The end results were their deaths and the taking of their star seeds. The senshi planned an attack on their own, leaving you out of it in hopes of keeping you safe. Sailor Saturn took your broach and hid it in a safe spot to keep you from transforming, then they all, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter teleported to space to fight me. Without the help of their leader, they barely had enough power to face me and consequently fell to my power and their star seeds became mine.   
  


            The little child Chibi Chibi came to you then, she had your broach, and prompted you to transform. Afterwards you both transported to space to face Chaos and I. Chibi Chibi became the sword of light and we battled. It was during the fight that Chaos took control of my body and directed all my actions. You refused to fight me, defensive instead of offensive. It was because of your pure heart that your transformation failed and you were left to fight in your most innocent form. Angel wings and sword were your only possessions and still you didn't fight back, begging me to take control and rid Chaos of my body. Your refusal to give up this world angered Chaos, but it touched me deeply. I fought the darkness and expelled Chaos from my body. In the white light of healing, you showed me what love was, devotion and strength.  
  


            For the saving of my soul I thank you Usagi! You gave me life, a reason to keep on living. My own star seed, Chibi Chibi, returned to me, and my soul was pure again. The white light of healing encompassed you and I, and there we remained for a while.  
  


            As a result of the healing white light, many star seeds returned to their original owners. Princess Kakyuu and the three starlights were resurrected and departed to their own planet to rebuild it. The other star seeds were ones that belonged to persons that I'd killed on other planets. I set out on a voyage then, determined to right my wrongs and that's when I left you floating in space, the white light of healing sending me on my way. Little did I know that something had gone wrong.  
  


            I never discovered this until 6 years later, when I returned to Earth in hopes of meeting you once again and informing you of the progress of the rebuilding planets. When I arrived at Earth, I discovered a terrible thing. The senshi and Sailor Moon were no longer there! I searched the planet but found no trace of you.   
  


            Finally I went to the long dead moon and searched the ruins. There I came across a sight to behold. Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium was there, and she was waiting for me. I didn't know what to say to her. She told me not to be afraid, to not fear her and I didn't, for she was no more than a ghost. She told me what happened to the senshi after I left.  
  


            When I left, Sailor Moon remained in space, grieving over her slain soldiers and lost love. Endymion had not died at my hands, no, he'd been killed in a plane crash, and his star seed lost forever. Sailor Moon did not know this; she believed he'd perished like her fellow senshi had. The star seeds of the senshi came to Sailor Moon, but the senshi did not reappear, instead the star seeds winked out of existence. Sailor Moon was left alone. The battle with Chaos had weakened her greatly and without the support of her friends, she had no strength left. She died, and therefore altered the future. There would be no Crystal Tokyo, and no Chibi-Usa, not in this timeline. Without Princess Serenity there to perform the cleansing, the Earth would turn into turmoil, it became what we see today.  
  


            Queen Serenity told me the heavens placed the blame on my shoulders. I knew when I absorbed Chaos into my body to keep him from harming others that it would control me, and yet I still went through with it. I was to be punished, she said, a fate no one would ever desire. Since this was my fault, I was to see to the care of the universe for infinity until the eternal soldier was reborn, then I was to train her. Only then would I be allowed to die, my soul to rest.  
  


            You see Usagi, your mother made a mistake a long time ago when she wished you into the future during the downfall of the Silver Millennium. She altered destiny, and she was punished through her child. The ginzouishu takes a toll, not just your life, but another even worse. When you make a wish such as rebirth upon it, the ginzouishu binds itself to you. Your mother wished for your rebirth into the future and the ginzouishu bound itself to YOU. For all eternity you will command it's power, for the ginzouishu was created in the heavens to protect the universe from evil. Therefore whenever evil arose, the ginzouishu battled.  
  


            To put it bluntly Usagi, you will never rest. You may die, but you will always be reborn. Whenever Sailor Moon is needed, you will be resurrected. You are the eternal soldier, Eternal Sailor Moon, and later, Sailor Cosmos. You command the power Usagi, whether you want it or not."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            The silence following Galaxia's last statement was stifling. They were speechless, Usagi most of all. Her eyes were dazed, staring off into space as a pained expression crossed her face. Galaxia drank the last of her tea and waited for the others to respond. Duo was the first.  
  


            "You telling me that Usabi or whatever her name is, comes from the past?" His chestnut brows were raised skeptically. Galaxia nodded.  
  


            "And you're also telling me that she has superhuman powers that are our only hope to save the universe?" Galaxia nodded again. Under normal circumstances, Duo would have laughed at the absurdity of the notion, but the omniscient presence of the woman before him did not permit so. He only shook his head in disbelief and sank in his chair.  
  


            "If I wanted to hear a fairy tale, I would've asked my mother," growled Wufei, a scowl gracing his features. Galaxia was a little taken aback, but hid it well. Of course they wouldn't believe her, she hardly believed herself sometimes. But no....it was the truth.  
  


            "Whether you accept it or not, I speak the truth. You can take this information and forget about it for all I care, but to do so would be ignorance. I'm here only for the Princess's sake," So saying she stared down at the table as tears began to well up in her ruby eyes.  
  


            "Usagi I....Usagi?" Galaxia's call fell on deaf ears, for the blonde's mind was elsewhere.  
  


            "Usagi?" all the pilots looked to her then, wondering why Usagi ignored the older woman. Heero grabbed her elbow and shook her gently; still there was no response. Usagi sat stiff and straight, her vibrant blue eyes glazed over and bewildered. Her mouth began to work, but no sounds issued forth.  
  


            "Kuso," cursed Galaxia, "She's gone into another vision," This earned her puzzled stares from the boys, but her attention was on the girl. Usagi began to tremble slightly; her eyes watering with unshed tears.  
  


            "Minna?" she whispered. The pilots looked at her but she didn't respond to them. Her expression turned into one of panic.  
  


            "Minna? Where are you? Onegai.....onegai minna. Don't leave me alone, I can't do this by myself!" tears streamed down her fair cheeks freely, her never moving to dab at them. Heero shook her more fiercely, hoping to bring her out of it. What was wrong with the girl? Usagi snarled suddenly and slapped his hand away.  
  


            "BAKAYARO!" she snapped, springing from her chair, "I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Heero sprang back as she kicked at his face. She dove for him and they fell back on the ground. Heero flipped her away and jumped up from the ground. Usagi landed against a wall and sat up, shaking her head. She glared at him again, her crescent moon lighting up on her forehead.  
  


            "What the-!!" exclaimed Duo. Trowa, Quatre, Wufei and Galaxia rose from their chairs.  
  


            "**YOU'LL PAY**!!" screamed Usagi.  
  


            "DUCK!" shouted Duo as a blast narrowly missed him. They all dived under the long table as blasts from Usagi's moonbeam sailed past them. Usagi was oblivious as she hopped on the table and began ransacking the place, kicking over chairs and blasting walls as she fought imaginary demons.   
  


            "AHHH SHINE!! YURUSUNAI!!"   
  


            ***CRASH*** Usagi's fist punched through the table and narrowly missed Galaxia's head. Galaxia reeled away in surprise and bumped into Heero. Her eyes were wild with fear.  
  


            "Get her out of here NOW!" she ordered. None of the pilots dared to move, all, even Trowa, actually stunned into immobility from the girl's strange actions. Heero was the first to recover and frowned at the others. After all, he'd seen enough horrors in his life and one more wouldn't shock him. He moved from beneath the table and peeked over the top edge.  
  


            ***CHING*** A teacup flew past his head, breaking up on the floor. He heard Quatre groan and smirked. That was one of the Winner heirlooms. Priceless and one of a kind.   
  


            Heero eyed the rampaging girl carefully, her wild curses and flaying limbs dangerous. He hopped onto the table while her back was turned and approached her cautiously. He studied her movements, ready to pounce.  
  


            "YOUMA!"  
  


            There! She was open! Quickly he snatched her back, arms pinned to her sides as he wrapped his arms around her and jumped from the table. Usagi's legs flailed crazily as she fought against his iron grip. Her moonbeam fired random shots around the room as her head tossed. Heero was careful to dodge all.  
  


            "LET ME GO!! I'LL KILL YOU!" He ignored her loud threats and carried her from the room.  
  


            "**EEEEEEII**IEIEEEIIIIIEE**EE!**" the bloodcurdling scream almost made him drop her. Suddenly she went lax, all traces of her previous struggle gone. Heero paused in surprise. What just happened?  
  


            Not taking any chances he scooped up her now calm legs and carried her back to his bedroom, laying her on the bed as she rested. He sat on the edge and checked her pulse. It was there, faint but going still. He watched her then, her crescent moon gone, and face relaxed. She slept peacefully, seemingly unaware of her earlier actions. Heero sighed. What now? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Was this what Galaxia meant? Was this the power that would save the universe? As much as he hated to admit, he was starting to believe the older woman. Usagi's display only prompted his opinion. He'd seen a lot of strange things in his day, but none such as that. Is this what they had to look forward to in the future? Heero shook his head to clear it. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to take on a mission of this sort.  
  


            He was brought out of his thoughts as Usagi stirred. She rolled over to face him and slowly her eyes fluttered open. They were still glazed. Heero thought nothing of it; after all, she appeared to be normal now. As if to confirm his reasoning, she stretched like a cat and offered him a small smile of appreciation.   
  


            Slowly she reached up her hand and traced it over his jaw, the touch gentle and compassionate, a lover's caress. Heero froze. What was she doing? Usagi ignored his questioning eyes and sat up on the bed, moving closer to sit next to him, they're hips touching. Heero was frozen to the spot as her arms snaked around his neck and drew him closer to her.  
  


            "You're still here....itoshii," she whispered and kissed him. 'What the-?!' Heero's eyes widened in shock, his mind reeling. Regardless Usagi didn't stop, her fingers running through his unruly hair and eyes closed. Her kiss was soft and gentle, coaxing him to join as her tongue ran along his closed lips.   
  


            Heero's mind screamed for him to stop this, to push her away and yell at her, but he didn't. He gave in to her, opening his mouth to her delight and returning the kiss passionately. All his emotion poured into it, his loneliness, despair and anguish.  
  


            Their tongues danced, the fires of passion burning fierce. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer to him. She moaned against his mouth and his grip tightened. Sometime ago their positions had changed, Usagi now straddling his lap.  
  


            They parted then, breathing heavily as they stared at one another. Usagi's eyes were shining brightly, still glazed. Heero's prussian blue reflected the emotion in her sapphire; hunger, need. He kissed her again, his hands traveling the length of her curves. Usagi gasped in surprise as they stopped on her bare thighs, and kneaded them gently. She pulled away then, smiling in mischief and before he knew it, she pulled her armored vest over her head and threw it onto the floor. She then returned to his embrace and claimed his lips once more. Heero was lost to the wealth of new sensations, his mind a haze of thought. His common sense had left him a while ago.  
  


            Their lips parted, and he trailed kisses along her neck instead. Usagi's hands roamed over his back, defining his muscles. They reached the hem of his tucked in green tank and began to tug. Heero nipped her neck and was rewarded with another gasp. Her mouth nibbled on his ear and he closed his eyes in rapture as she whispered in it, her breath sending shivers down his spine.  
  


            "Mamo-chan,"  
  


            Reality came crashing back down and Heero jerked away. He stared at her face in shock, his actions finally dawning on him. Usagi's glazed eyes cared not and she reached forward to kiss him again. Heero stopped her.   
  


            "Tenshi," he said, his voice wavering slightly with hurt. He wanted to slap himself, berate his mind for loosing control. They'd almost...  
  


            "**Tenshi**," he said more forcefully. Usagi blinked a few times and frowned. She shook her head to clear the fuzziness from it and when she looked at him again, her eyes were normal. She opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes rolled back in her head and she went lax once more. Slowly Heero laid her back down, this time moving away from the bed to wait out her recovery. He stared down at her, his hand dazedly feeling his lips where hers had been only moments before.  
  


            How would he face her now?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "You know...she won't remember when she wakes up," Heero whipped around at the sound of the feminine voice. Galaxia stood in the doorway; arms crossed and amused expression on her face. Heero glared at her, not liking to be snuck up on.  
  


            "Remember what?" he asked coldly, reverting to soldier mode once again. Galaxia stalked into the room and halted next to the bed, ruby eyes gazing tenderly at the dozing Usagi. Her green shoe bumped against the hastily discarded armor.  
  


            "What just happened," she whispered, "I've been there countless times when she's had the visions. She'll remember nothing." A flash of pain crossed Heero's features but soon melted into indifference. A moment of silence passed by as they stared at the sleeping girl, one concerned for her health, and the other wondering if indeed she would forget.  
  


            "Why are you here," he asked finally, his voice cold. Galaxia finally turned her head to look at him.  
  


            "The others are downstairs cleaning up the mess she made in her rampage. I came to see how Usagi was doing, but from what I saw moments ago.... she's fine," Heero felt his cheeks burn in sudden embarrassment. She'd been watching?! Galaxia ignored the pilot's reaction and turned on her heel to leave, pausing in the doorway to say something over her shoulder.  
  


            "When she awakens, come back to join the others. We shall discuss your next move," and she was gone, leaving Heero to await the princess's arousal.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Ten minutes later Heero and the slightly disoriented Usagi emerged into the dining room, taking up seats at the long table. Their clothes were disarrayed, Usagi's armored vest missing. Wufei cocked an eyebrow in suspicion but said nothing. Usagi surveyed the damaged room, and hole in the table, in puzzlement.  
  


            "What happened in here?" she asked innocently. Duo gaped.  
  


            "You mean you don't remember?!" he exclaimed, incredulous. The girl had practically destroyed Quatre's dining room and she didn't remember?!   
  


            Usagi frowned, "Remember what?"   
  


            Wufei opened his mouth to tell her but stopped at a look from Galaxia. She shook her head, signaling him to leave it for later; they had more important matters to discuss. "Weak psychotic onna," he mumbled.   
  


            After everyone had settled down again, she spoke.  
  


            "I suggest you all depart this mansion for at least a week's time," Quatre frowned in confusion.  
  


            "Why? I see no reason to leave my home, unless you've betrayed us in some way," his statement caused Duo to grab his gun and aim it at Galaxia, his glare holding the promise of death. Galaxia never flinched and instead stood up slowly, putting her cloak back around her shoulders and fastening the clasp beneath her neck. That done she pulled a pair of gloves from a pocket in the cloak and pulled them on.  
  


            "No Mr. Winner, I have not betrayed your location," Quatre still didn't believe her, "When Usagi here ran away from Treize's base, alarms were thrown up and a search party arranged. Then with the KALONG disk missing and top-secret files stolen, suspicions were only raised further. Treize Kushranada issued a warrant for the arrest of one girl and five boys. The camera never captured a clear picture of you Mr. Yuy, but it did capture your profile. Anyways, Treize is having every major household on Earth searched thoroughly. I'd leave for a week if I were you; the desert is the first place Oz is likely to check seeing the expansiveness of it. Knowing the soldiers of Oz a week's search will suffice for here, after that you may return."  
  


            "As for that disk Heero, I suggest you take a look at it to better comprehend the situation. Whatever you decide to do with it, don't show the contents to anyone else, not even the man who issued the mission. It will explain a lot, certainly as to why Usagi felt the need to steal it, even under penalty of death," Galaxia stared purposefully at the girl but Usagi avoided her gaze, too caught up in her own thoughts.  
  


            "I'm sure you all believe the desperation of the ordeal, with what happened earlier a prime example. There's more to come. As for me, I will be returning to Treize, just to keep his suspicions from rising and deflecting Oz from your trail. I will meet you back here in a week's time, just stay alive till then," with that she turned to leave.  
  


            "Hold it," she froze at the sound of Trowa's voice and turned back around, "You must think us fools if we just let you waltz out of here. Your usefulness has expired," to their utter surprise she laughed.  
  


            "Hahaha! Oh Mr. Barton, do you not think I was expecting that? Come now, weren't you listening to the tale? I'm immortal until my duties are fulfilled. You. Can't. Kill. Me." Trowa pulled his gun out and cocked the lever.  
  


            "We'll see," he said and fired. Time seemed to slow as the bullet raced towards her. Galaxia eyed it disdainfully, not even flinching when it hit her chest. They waited for blood to appear and the woman to fall down lifeless.   
  


            Nothing happened.   
  


            Galaxia sighed and placed her hand over the bullet wound. It glowed with a golden light, and when the glow ceased, there was the bullet in her palm. She tossed it back to Trowa.  
  


            "See. Now I have to leave the hard way. Sayonara minna!" and with a flash of blinding white light she was gone. The pilots could only blink at the spot she'd been at.   
  


            "Well I guess we better believe her now," said Duo, awe written in his features. Heero stared at the vacant spot a moment longer before taking charge. His monotone voice left no room for argument.  
  


            "Go pack, we're leaving."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Heero walked into the small hotel room, Usagi right behind him and eyed it critically. They had to sleep in this dump? A small bed was in the center of the room, a brown blanket and white pillow the only decor. In the far right corner was a small yellow couch, the appearance alone speaking for its softness. You could actually see the lumps in the cushions. Across from the couch was the door to the bathroom, closed for now. The threadbare curtains covering the window over the couch would hardly ward off the cold night air. The window itself was rickety, one pane missing and boards taking it's place. They rode a jet for six hours, not to mention a bus another two hours...for this?  
  


            'Oh well,' he mused to himself, 'I've slept in worse.' Usagi shoved past him and went into the bathroom, never saying a word as she slammed the door behind her. Heero silently dragged the luggage into the room and set it in the corner; then he took a seat on the bed. Two minutes later Usagi emerged from the restroom, cheeks red and skin shining with dampness. Evidently she'd been scrubbing the last trace of tears from her face. She'd had another vision on the way to the hotel and Heero had to carry her the rest of the way from the bus depot. None of the others offered to do it (not even fearless ol' Trowa), too frightened she'd go into another vision and end up blasting them with her moonbeam. She frowned at Heero as she looked between the couch and the bed.  
  


            "I am not sleeping in the same bed as you! Take the couch." Heero looked at her incredulously. Was she giving him orders? Wasn't she the one at his mercy? Hadn't he been kind enough to carry her here...and this was all the gratitude he got?! Angrily he reached down to take off his shoes, ignoring her for the moment. That done he lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself.  
  


            "I have no intention of sharing the same bed as you," he answered after a while, "Either you sleep on the couch or take the floor...either one is fine with me." Usagi glared daggers at him, but he paid her no attention and closed his eyes in mock sleep. Usagi huffed over to the couch and flopped on it, face pink from anger. The nerve! Was he no gentleman?! She grumbled to herself about rude boys and jerks while trying to remove her boots.  
  


            "Usagi."  
  


            She looked up expecting an apology, but only got hit in the face with a blanket. She threw it off her and glared at Heero, but he ignored her and settled on the bed once again, pulling the thin sheet over himself to ward off the slight chill in the room. Usagi finished removing her boots, armor, and leg cuffs, the gun, she noted earlier, missing from the holster, and lay on the couch, the lumpy thing already a pain to sleep on. Clad only in the white leather bodysuit, wrist guards and choker, she soon drifted into unpleasant slumber.   
  


            Heero glanced back to ask her a question, but stopped as he noticed she was already asleep. Grudgingly he shuffled into a comfortable position and tried to sleep. His mind swam with thoughts from events during the day. He wanted to ask her if she remembered. He wanted to know if she recalled any of that one moment in time where they'd shared something sacred. He chided himself with these silly thoughts. He was a soldier; and soldier's didn't dwell on frilly romance. His thoughts jumbled and confused, Heero drifted into a deep sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Usagi awoke slowly, her shivering body disturbing her sleep. Her teeth chattered as her toes curled, her bare feet rubbing together for warmth. The blanket was clutched tightly beneath her chin, but it wasn't enough. She blew her breath into the air and was greeted with a slight mist. Her eyesight was blurry, her head disoriented from lack of sleep. Slowly she crawled from the couch, dragging the blanket with her. Her back was sore from having slept on the lumpy thing, the springs disorderly. She stumbled around the dark room, heading towards a source of heat. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel it.   
  


            A while later her groping hands found a cushy bed, the small mattress barely large enough for two people, let alone the person on it. She crawled into it and instinctively moved closer to the other occupant. The other person was shivering themselves, deep in sleep, the thin sheet even worse than her own blanket.   
  


            Gently she wrapped her arms around the other person's waist, her head resting against their back, and pulled the blanket over both of them. Her shivering ceased almost immediately, the body heat having the desired effect. The other person's chilled form slowly grew warmer; their shivering body relaxed once more. Her head still fuzzy and thoughts a blur, Usagi once again fell asleep. Not caring where she was or whom she was with, as long as she was warm.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "Pssst. Heero wake up," Heero groggily opened his eyes to be greeted with Duo's beaming face. Why was the braided baka pestering him? He tried to look as menacing as possible but his brain was still foggy. Duo's grin only broadened, his eyes shining with mischief.  
  


            "Have fun last night?" Heero frowned as his eyes focused on the pest.  
  


            "What are you talking about?" he croaked. If it were possible for Duo's grin to get any bigger, it did.  
  


            "Must've had a lot of fun...you can't even remember!" he giggled a little as Heero grew even more confused.  
  


            "What do you mean?" he was fast losing his patience. Why didn't Duo just blurt it out like he usually did?   
  


            "Look behind you, I'm surprised you don't feel it," Heero craned his head around and saw nothing. It was then that he noticed the blanket and sudden warmth. When had he gotten an extra blanket? Didn't he give it to Usagi? He glanced to the couch, but it was empty.   
  


            Heero looked down over his shoulder and saw a glimpse of gold peeking from beneath the blanket. He reached up and slowly pulled the blanket down, only to stiffen in shock. Usagi?!! Sure enough there was the blond bombshell, arms around his waist and head against his back, her body curled up in warmth.  
  


            "What th-?!" Heero tried to spring from the bed but found he couldn't. Usagi's brows drew down in frustration and she whimpered as her grip tightened on him. He was trapped!! He turned his head back around to pout in anger. That was too much for Duo.  
  


            "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *deep breath* Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Tears streamed down his face as he rolled on the ground, "That's.....heeheheehee....too..hoohohohoo...fu..funny! HAhahahahahahaha!" Heero glared hard enough to burn holes through the laughing pilot.  
  


            "Shut up!" he hissed. Duo sat up on the ground, wiping his cheeks with a huge smile on his face.  
  


            "You tell ANYONE Duo and I swear I'll make you pay!" Duo cheesed.  
  


            "Oh puh-lease Heero! This is too priceless.... I have to tell **EVERYONE**!" Heero's jaw clenched as he tried to think of a good threat, his mind distracted by the girl clinging to his waist. She sure did have soft legs....  
  


            "If you tell anyone...I'll blow up your Gundam." Duo's eyes widened in shock as he gaped in horror.  
  


            "You wouldn't! That's cruel...th...that's heartless! You can't do that!!" Heero glared.  
  


            "Tell anyone about this and I will do it!" he threatened. Duo swallowed nervously and nodded.  
  


            "Tell anyone what?" Heero suddenly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over Usagi's head as Wufei entered the room. The Chinese pilot stood in the open doorway, arms crossed over his chest and brow cocked in curiosity. Heero looked at him through narrowed eyes.   
  


            "Nothing...go away," he growled. Wufei looked between Heero on the bed and Duo lying on the floor. Heero was staring at Duo intently, daring him to say something. Duo chewed his lip in indecision. In his mind he weighed his gundam to the joy he would get from telling. Another glance at Heero and his mind was made up. He couldn't do that Deathscythe HELL.  
  


            "Nothing Wu-man." he quipped finally. Wufei forgot his earlier question as he heard the dreaded nickname.  
  


            "MAXWELL!! How many times do I have to tell you NOT to call me that!!" Duo beamed at Wufei.  
  


            "Too many to count...but you know what....I don't care WU-MAN!!" and he took off, diving between Wufei's legs and sprinting down the hall. Wufei stood there, blinking in surprise for a moment before tearing down the hall, slamming the door behind him while yelling death threats.  
  


            A sigh of relief escaped Heero and he flopped his head on the pillow. Those guys were more trouble than they were worth. For a minute he lay there, enjoying the warmth compared to the cold morning air and almost fell asleep again. Then with a jolt he remembered whom he was with.   
  


            Heero reached down to Usagi's joined hands around his waist and gently pried them apart, careful not to wake her. The situation was bad enough; he didn't need her waking up and freaking out. He eased out the bed and placed the blanket back over her. She curled into a ball, her face frowning from the sudden loss of warmth.  
  


            Heero's teeth chattered involuntarily as the cold air hit him. Of all the places to hide out, they had to pick Russia! He wrapped his arms around himself as he stared at her, briefly considering crawling back into the warm bed. Maybe for a little while...  
  


            'What the hell is wrong with me!' he mentally slapped himself and turned on his heel. Without glancing back he went into the bathroom and slammed the door.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Heero emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later; towel wrapped around his waist while droplets of water clung to his bare chest. He'd been so quick to hop in the shower and purge himself of the embarrassing encounter that he'd forgotten to take clothes with him into the bathroom. Now he regretted it as he walked out and saw Usagi...awake and going through his bags. Clothes littered the floor everywhere as she riffled through countless outfits. He frowned in annoyance.  
  


            "What do you think you're doing?" She started at his voice but only turned her head to glance at him.  
  


            "If you haven't noticed HEERO...I didn't exactly pack an overnight bag when you abducted me," she paused in her search, "Don't you have anything besides black and green clothes? No orange? No white? No pink?" Heero cocked an eyebrow,  
  


            "Pink," he stated, "You really think I'd wear pink? I'm not Quatre," Usagi ignored him and dug deeper in the bag.  
  


            "A HA!" she cried in triumph, pulling out a long sleeved white dress shirt and pair of boxers. A giggle escaped her lips as she looked at the boxers, and Heero wished he'd burnt them long time ago. They were dark blue....with the white playboy bunny logo all over them. Around the white waistband the words **TOO SEXY** stood out in black letters. Duo had given them to him last year for his birthday as a practical joke. He wondered how they ended up in his bag.  
  


            Usagi looked from Heero to the boxers and back again. o_O  
  


            "Hahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahaha!*gasp* too....se...sexy?! Hahahahahahahahahaha!" She ran into the bathroom still laughing and slammed the door.  
  


            Heero flopped on the bed with a sigh of defeat. He waited until he heard the water running and the shower door being closed.  
  


            "IIIYAA!!! THAT'S COLD!!"  
  


            Smirking in satisfaction, he moved to get dressed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "So what's our next move?" asked Duo, stuffing a bagel into his mouth. It was his tenth. Next to him, Wufei grimaced in disgust as he watched Duo inhale the breakfast. Crumbs from the demolished bagel fell on Duo's black sweater and some made their way down to his gray jeans. A crumb landed on Wufei's red sweater vest with black dress shirt underneath and he brushed it away while glaring at Duo. Duo cheesed and dusted his hands off over Wufei's black slacks. He was rewarded with another glare.   
  


            "We move out and continue on to our next destination. We can't do anything until the dust settles and Treize gives up the search," spoke up Trowa. He sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he addressed the other pilots. His hunter green sweater and black jeans contrasted greatly with the aqua blue sweater vest, white turtleneck and blue jeaned boy beside him.   
  


            "Ya, but that could take months, that woman could be lying when she said it'd only last a week," stated Quatre, his tone worried. He didn't like being away from the Magnaucs for so long, not to mention leaving his mansion and gundam unattended for the amount of time he envisioned the search would cover, "We can't just keep hopping from hotel to hotel." Wufei sat forward in his chair, his black eyes intense.  
  


            "If we sit in one spot Winner, we'll get caught for sure. Somebody's bound to notice that five boys and a girl traveling together is out of the ordinary. Once they catch on, we're doomed." Silence hung around the table as they contemplated their situation. It was just the four of them in the hotel dining room, taking advantage of the complimentary breakfast, Duo mostly, while they waited for Heero and Usagi.   
  


            The dark haired pilot appeared moments later, dressed in a black sweater and pants with a scantily clad Usagi behind him. She stood out in her halfway-buttoned dress shirt, blue boxers, and boots from her original ensemble. 

            Duo grinned as he recognized the boxers. He opened his mouth to say something but choked as Heero stuffed a bagel in his mouth. He yanked the bagel from his teeth and threw it at Heero's head, only succeeding in hitting the old woman at the next table. She turned around to glare at him, but Duo looked the other way.  
  


            "Konnichiwa minna," greeted Usagi as she took a seat next to Quatre at the long table. Quatre blushed as he took in her outfit.  
  


            "Usagi, you shouldn't wear that! It's 12 degrees below zero outside! You'll freeze!" Usagi stared purposely at Heero, who sat across from Duo and next to Trowa, as she answered Quatre.  
  


            "Well SOMEBODY didn't pack the right kind of clothes and I sure as hell wasn't going to wear black and green." Quatre frowned and stood up, bringing her with him and leading her from the dining hall.  
  


            "Well I don't think you should have to freeze. Come on I'll find you some decent clothes," Duo leered suggestively at her.  
  


            "I think what she has on is fine!" Heero threw a knife at him. Duo ducked and the blade embedded itself in the wall behind him.  
  


            "I've had it with your dirty remarks Duo!" growled Heero. Duo pouted and sank in his chair.  
  


            "Can't help it, I was born that way!" he said in defense. By now Quatre and Usagi had left. Duo rubbed the top of his head, his eyes widening in fear as he pulled two strands away. He glared at Heero, daggers in his eyes.  
  


            "Why you evil son of a-"  
  


            "Enough," ordered Trowa. Duo pouted again and sank lower in his chair.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            After finding a white sweater and dark blue jeans for Usagi to wear, the six teens left the hotel. She still wore the boxers, finding them rather interesting. The pilots all split into two groups, Heero, Wufei and Duo, and Quatre, Usagi, and Trowa. They agreed to find out useful information while they were in Russia and Quatre took Usagi shopping for some much-needed items.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sorry, not much of a cliffhanger this time, but I thought it was time to post again. Well stay tuned for chapter 6!  
  
*_sigh_* only a lot more chapters to go till the finale.  Hopefully you'll stick around till then.

Till next time! *^_~*

  
**_Review PLEASE!! _**


	6. Vision of Ice

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VI   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Excuse#567491: Minna I just found out I have a highly contagious disease called Laziness. No Seriously. Nani?! Why are you all laughing at me?! This isn't funny!   
  


Ossu peoples! How are you? Good I hope and not too mad. How was your new years? Mine was okay! I was on the road and had to dodge fireworks. I finall

Anyway here's the latest chapter to Sensou Tenshi Usagi. It's a bit slow in the beginning, but gradually gets faster paced as it goes on. I tried to make this chapter long. Oh and the author's notes at the end are extremely long so bear with me. Well on with the fic!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: _Quatre and Duo drag a crazed Shorty into a sunny room. Gokou sits behind a huge desk, business suit and glasses on. He puts down the newspaper as they put Shorty in a chair and take off her straight jacket_.  
  
**Shorty**: Idon'townSailorMoonIdon'townGundamWingIdon'townDBZIdon....  
**Gokou**: *_grin_* Welcome Shorty! It's a pleasure to have you here at the anime nut house. I'll be your shrink today.  
**Shorty**: O_O? eh? Gokou? Is that really you?  
**Gokou**: Ya....why?  
**Shorty**: You look so smart! Don't you have the intelligence of a gerbil?  
**Gokou**: ^_^; hehe...that's just for the show! I'm really smart you know, where do you think Gohan gets it from...Chichi?  
**Shorty**: Uh....._thinks hard_.........good point.  
**Gokou**: Now Shorty when I hold up these blob cards, you tell me what you see. ::_holds up card_:: you see...?  
**Shorty**: Relena  
::_another card_::  
**Shorty**: Relena preaching about peace  
::_another card_::  
**Shorty**: Mamoru throwing a rose and saying a corny speech  
::_another card_::  
**Shorty**: An edited picture of Jupiter  
**Gokou**: o_O? And this? ::_holds up card_::  
**Shorty**: ACK!! IT'S GREEN BEAN AND SAILOR CHAOS!! ::_Takes out shotgun_:: DIE YOU FOUL-MOUTHED FIENDS!!!  
***BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG***  
**Gokou**: **-_-;** ::_puts smoking card full of holes down_:: I think that's it for the day....we'll continue this next time.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VI   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
  
  
  


            "Treize-sama," The woman bowed deeply and Treize nodded his head in acknowledgement, not even bothering to look up and see who had entered his office. That done, she took a seat in the chair opposite the ruler and waited for him to address her formally. Treize set aside the documents he'd been reading and looked at the woman before him.   
  


            "Juniper," he said, "It's been a week. How are the search efforts for Tenshi going?" Juniper pulled down the hood of her cloak and riffled a hand through her bangs, her long hair pulled back into a high bun. Her ruby gaze settled on Treize and reflected failure.  
  


            "My deepest apologies Treize-kyo, forgive me for my lack of good news, but Tenshi is nowhere to be found. The search units have explored the desert regions at your request but nothing was discovered. Are you so sure that Tenshi is on Earth sir? Perhaps she is residing in one of the colonies, or moreover, maybe she was killed in the attack that destroyed the base?" Treize shook his head.  
  


            "I highly doubt that Juniper. Tenshi is a survivor and even more than that, a War Angel, the last. Survival is her number one objective besides the desire to fight. Also Tenshi is special. Having trained the girl for the last 13 years, you should know. That disk, the one that was stolen by her, contained information I had yet to know about, but am sure it had to do with her. Take my word, Tenshi is not dead," a sinister laugh escaped from his throat and he folded his hands in his lap.  
  


            "Knowing her, she's probably beguiled those damned Gundam pilots into taking her with them. Juniper, I know she's out there, and in league with those pilots. You remember when she ran away two weeks ago and I sent for you for discipline training?" Juniper crossed her legs and settled back into her chair, her all leather tight brown suit creaking as she shifted positions.  
  


            "Hai, I remember, but what does that have to do with anything?" Treize slowly rose from his seat and walked to a projector screen behind him. A machine in the corner was flicked on courtesy of the remote in his hands and the screen lit up with the image, a blurry one, of a boy and the undeniable Tenshi standing in a dark room.  
  


            "This is one of the shots from the surveillance cameras at Charles air base. Tenshi as you can see is there along with a boy. Even with computer manipulation, this is the best the image can be seen. Now the boy in this shot, his face is uncertain, but the silhouette does pronounce him to be male. I have reason to believe he is one of the notorious Gundam pilots. The coincidence of the meeting here and the destroyed base: evidence. I think Tenshi has been meeting with the pilots for quite awhile and giving away top secret information." Juniper's brow arched in disbelief.  
  


            "Forgive me for disagreeing with you Treize-kyo, but I don't see how it's possible. Tenshi spent most of her time training and being sent on missions. Missions, I might add, that were quite parallel to the kinds the Gundams assume." Treize turned the projector off and resumed his seat occupation, leaning forward to emphasize his words.  
  


            "I know this Juniper, but she could have been deceiving us all along. Tenshi is an enigma to us here at the Oz federation. The science team informs me that she's not even human and therefore can't be trusted. Come now, why do you look so shocked?" Juniper closed her gaping mouth and shook her head.  
  


            "How is it possible for her not to be human sir?"  
  


            "That is what I'd like to know, and what I'm sure was on that disk. Now do you see the importance of her capture? Good. I want you to continue the search. Is there any place you think Tenshi could be hiding in particular on Earth?" Juniper uncrossed her legs and sat up straight.  
  


            "Sir, I have reason to believe Tenshi is hiding out in the north, somewhere in the arctic." Treize raised his brow.  
  


            "Honto? You know as well as I do that Tenshi hates the cold. Why would she choose a place such as that?"  
  


            "There's why sir. We know her well; her likes and dislikes. If she were to hide out somewhere she dislikes sir, we would never think to look there."  
  


            "And yet, you have. How is that possible?" Juniper blushed. Was he implying that she was keeping secrets?   
  


            "First off sir, let me say, I hide nothing from you. An inside tip was received here at the base, someone from Russia. Apparently one of the hotel administrators discovered a girl fitting Tenshi's description dwelling in his facility. With your consent, I'd like to go there immediately and see for myself if this is true," Treize settled back in his chair with an audible sigh and contemplated her request. After ten minutes he nodded his head.  
  


            "I give my permission for you to go. If nothing turns up, come back here and report. A team of soldiers and scientist will be sent with you. You may leave now," Juniper stood up and gave a bow.  
  


            "Thank you sir, I will do all in my power to apprehend her," Treize waited until Juniper walked from the office and shut his door before turning his chair to face the other occupant of the room.  
  


            "What do you think C? Can I trust her? Juniper knows a bit too much and her lack of true surprise during the whole conversation alarms me. I'm convinced she knows what was on that disk. Why can't we force it out of her and leave it at that? Why all this watching and waiting?" A deep chuckle issued from the figure in the corner of the room, hidden amidst the shadows and curtains. Moments later, they stepped forward into the light, black cloak masking the features of the person well.  
  


            "Treize, do not worry so," the gruff masculine voice replied, "You know as well as I that Juniper is a traitor and cannot be trusted. Still, our plan requires that she stay alive for now. Given the chance she will lead us straight to Tenshi without even knowing it." The figure moved then, steps slow and measured as it took up residence in the empty seat across from Treize. Red eyes glinted from the darkness of the hood as the figure laughed, a deep, evil sound that promised death to all.  
  


            "We will find Tenshi, and then my revenge shall be final. Have patience for now. You shall have your reward soon enough. It's not every man that raises the key to the universe," A smirk crept onto Treize's face.  
  


            "True C, it's not."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Usagi snuggled into the thick white coat further as they walked down Molotov street, her breath leaving mist in the night air. A week they'd been here and tonight would be they're last night. Personally Usagi wouldn't miss it at all. Russia was too cold for her liking. Still it did hold a certain charm.   
  


            She knew after this, things would change drastically. She'd gotten to know the G boys (that's what she liked to call them) this past week, Quatre most of all. He was the nicest out of them, his polite manner and caring nature a true attribute to his name. Next to him came Duo, smart mouthed and a prankster but fun. Trowa was okay for most of the time; he was neither openly nice to her nor mean. More aloof and apt to be by himself than anything. Now Wufei was another matter all together. A giggle escaped her lips as she reminisced all the times they'd gotten into arguments about weak women, a term he used quite often around her. The shouting matches they held were horrendous, one time even causing them to be thrown out the hotel. That was one of the rare moments she'd actually seen Trowa angry. Finding a new hotel at three in the morning wasn't easy.  
  


            "What's so funny," asked Heero. Usagi glanced over to the young man walking beside her and shook her head. Nothing. Heero accepted this and continued to walk in silence, hands stuffed into the thick black coat adorning him. He was an enigma to her, something she couldn't figure out. Ever since the departure from Quatre's mansion, he'd been loath to hang around her. There seemed to be a gap between them, something had happened that he didn't want to discuss. The many times Usagi had tried to get it out of him he simply refused to answer. She racked her mind for something she might of done or said to him besides the few exchanges between them during her escapades, but could think of nothing. Still despite his cold manner and stolid figure, Usagi knew he felt something for her, protectiveness perhaps. He was always watching her, sticking close whenever they left to travel somewhere new, and providing a steady vigil Usagi had grown used to. Besides that, he was the only one who shared a room with her whenever they had to double up. She asked him why and his simple reply had been, 'The others don't want to', and left it at that.   
  


            Usagi could also feel the uneasiness of the pilots whenever she was around them. It didn't help that she had blank spots in her memories either.  
  


            Now as she gazed at Heero's emotionless face she puzzled out her feelings for him. Sure he was cute, brave, intelligent...everything a girl could want, but Usagi didn't know what to make of _him_. He stirred feelings in her heart, feelings she had yet to understand.  
  


            *_sigh_* Life was evil indeed.   
  


            Ever since Galaxia had appeared, her attacks had been getting worse, and she seemed to remember things that weren't there before, faces, events, people, smells, places, powers...  
  


            Maybe she really was this heroine named Sailor Moon as Galaxia had called her, but Usagi couldn't be sure. It seemed she wasn't sure of anything in life anymore. It didn't help that Heero wouldn't allow her access to the disk, the one thing she'd risked her life and her freedom to get. The answers were there, she was sure of it. She only needed a way to get through the impenetrable armor of the perfect soldier.  
  


            Usagi stared back forward as they continued to walk, her heels clacking the only noise made between any of them at all. She half wished she had her boots on, but no, the thing they were attending required formal wear. A frown crossed her lips and she cursed Quatre in her mind. The Russian Ballet, that's what they were attending, at Quatre's insistence no doubt. It'd been a dream of his since he was young. Now Usagi wished she been quicker to say no instead of agreeing. This ballet was supposed to be special, it included an opera performance by a world famous singer, someone Usagi had never heard of.  
  


            Being a formal event, she had to wear a gown. The dress was beautiful indeed; a sparkling royal blue that tied behind her neck and clung to her curves nicely. The gown was long, extending down all the way to her ankles and stopping just above her blue high heels. A sparkling gold dragon design snaked up the front and curved around the side, seeming to wrap her body in a constricting manner. A glittering white flame shot from the dragon's mouth and ended in the front, near her shoulder. Pearl earrings adorned her ears and a pearl bracelet on her ankle. She still wore her choker and leg cuffs with the gun still missing; no doubt Heero had it. The dress had a nice slit up the side to expose one long leg.  
  


            All of it paid for by Quatre Raberba Winner. Usagi had been a little hesitant to accept it, Quatre had been so gracious to her, but he wouldn't let her refuse. He'd even gone so far as to get her hair done, an intricate design of braids and curls piled atop her head, some hanging down her back to end at her calves. It was all so lovely. She vowed to pay him back one day, Quatre was a true gentle man indeed.   
  


            "We're here," said Heero quietly, his voice drawing her from her thoughts. He didn't look anymore comfortable than her, forced into wearing a black tuxedo by Quatre and Duo. He'd been ready to refuse, but Duo blackmailed him, with what she didn't know, and Heero readily agreed. Wufei had been another matter altogether. It'd taken three guys to hold him down and force him into the tux, Usagi rolling with laughter in the background. He vowed to kill them all after the ballet.  
  


            Quatre approached the cashier behind the glass booth and purchased six tickets. Luckily the cashier spoke a bit of English and was able to interpret what he wanted. That underway they proceeded as a group into the huge building. The outside was nothing special, a dome shaped building painted a dark blue that looked black at night, dozens of windows. Inside, it was breathtaking. Usagi had never seen something so lovely in her life. It was two story, the second floor nothing but balconies, the stairs adorned with a red carpet that spread throughout the building. The domed roof held dozens of chandeliers, gold and glittering to give the outer room a romantic feel. A hallway led off to the side where a bar and lobby were. It was two buildings in one, the inner room consisting of the stage and main seating ground. It was sphere shaped and blocked off by two huge glass doors that were being held open by two red velvet suited doormen. The outer room circled the inner, most of it stairs that led up to the second floor where all the balcony seats were. Usagi was so busy looking around she didn't even notice Duo approach her from behind.  
  


            "May I take your coat beautiful?" Usagi nodded distantly.  
  


            "Sure Heero," she mumbled and began to take her coat off. Duo raised a brow in surprise. Heero? He'd been called many things in his life but never Heero.   
  


            Once removed, Usagi handed her coat to Heero who was paying her no attention what so ever. The coat landed on his shoulder. He was about to throw it on the ground and tell her he wasn't her servant but stopped when he saw her. His breath caught and he couldn't help but stare at the lovely picture she made. Several men who were with their dates stopped and stared, which in turn earned a slap from their partners. A couple of single men on their way to the bar whistled at her. Usagi ignored all the looks and turned to Quatre who was looking around at the sights.  
  


            "Quatre-kun, where do we sit?" Quatre stared at the tickets and sweatdropped.  
  


            "I don't know, I can't read it," he admitted with a blush. Usagi giggled and took the tickets from him. She examined it a moment and handed it back to him.  
  


            "It's a balcony seat, fifth door on the left up the stairs,"  
  


            "You can read that?!" exclaimed Duo, his previous thoughts forgotten. Usagi winked at him.  
  


            "Of course, I can read and write over six different languages. You forget who raised me?" Duo shook his head and chuckled. They all knew her story; she'd told them one night while they were switching hotels.  
  


            "Oh ya, I did," Usagi giggled and proceeded up the stairs, followed by Duo, Quatre and the silent Trowa.   
  


            "Damn all those sissies and that weak onna, dragging me to this retarded ballet. I swear to kami when this is over they're all gonna die! I got better things to........" and Wufei followed them, grumbling the whole way. Heero stood there a while, still a little in awe of Usagi, then he shook his head to clear it. He was being silly, awe struck by a girl, he told himself and went up the stairs. The others had already taken a seat in the curtained balcony room. Quatre and Trowa sat in the first two seats on the right, Duo and Wufei sat in the second two seats on the left, which left Usagi and an empty chair in the center, a little ways away from the rail. Heero took his seat, pausing to drape Usagi's coat on the back of her chair and settled down as the curtain on stage opened and the ballet began.  
  


            Five minutes later, Wufei was asleep.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            About two hours later, the dancers exited the stage and an announcer came out. He said something and left, followed by deafening applause from the audience. A blond, robust lady appeared on the stage then, dragged on a carriage of some kind by six men dressed up as sea horses. Her legs were covered in a fin made from aluminum, and she sat in a clam shaped carriage. Usagi heard Quatre gasp. Obviously he recognized her.  
  


            Quatre turned his head to smile at her, eyes lit up in excitement. Usagi guessed he'd heard this song before.  
  


            "You'll like this one," he said, voice low, "It's about a mermaid who grieves for her lost human lover. He drowned when he tried to follow her into the icy depths of the ocean," he turned back around then as the lady opened her mouth and began to sing her intro. Moments later the musicians joined and played a lovely composition; one that touched the soul with it's tremulous melody. The beautiful music filled Usagi's being and stirred her long held back emotions. The song, it was so sad, so full of sorrow, and the woman's voice held a despondent note that would never go away. Usagi let the music wash over her, listening with not only her ears but her heart. Unknowingly, a tear slid down her cheek and she smiled in enchantment as she closed her eyes.  
  


            Minutes later she opened them once again as the song changed tempo, became more heart pounding, her eyes attracted to the stage.   
  


            Her heart stopped.  
  


            The woman, she changed. Not only that, but she was standing up, no longer robust, but slender and dressed in a sparkling ivory gown. Usagi knew that girl, the aqua blue eyes, the chin length, dark blue hair, and benevolent smile.  
  


            'Mercury,' she mouthed. Usagi looked frantically at the pilots to see if they'd noticed the girl on stage. They gave no sign that they did. Quatre and Trowa were watching the show with rapt attention, not paying any notice to Usagi's panicked face. Wufei slouched in his chair, head thrown back and mouth open as he snored. Duo was busy trying to watch the performance at the same time balance paper balls on Wufei's nose. Heero was leaning against the rail, one arm propping up his head and his eyes closed. She couldn't tell whether he was asleep or awake. Usagi once more focused on the girl on stage. It was Mercury, she knew without a doubt. The memories from her past life flooded her mind with images of the blue haired genius.   
  


            Mercury's arms were thrown open as she sang, gaze locking with Usagi's. The words were different now, she could understand them.  
  


            _Do you hear the sorrow in my voice?_   
            _ A sorrow so deep it cannot be expressed_  
            _Do you want to know why I grieve so?_   
            _I'll tell you because I can keep it inside me no more_  
            _There was once a girl that I used to know_  
            _Eyes like oceans and hair spun of gold_  
            _We were friends, no sisters till the very end_  
            _A princess, her kingdom destroyed, and yet her soul reborn  
  
_

            _but why should I tell you this _  
            _when I've never met you before? _  
            _Someone who in hours from now _  
            _I'll certainly forget somehow_  
            _Could it be that you _  
            _so closely resemble that special girl_  
            _Whose soul was so pure_  
            _no evil could ever taint?  
  
_

            _Can I trust you?   
_            _You remind me of enchantment passing through_  
            _The secrets in my confidence_  
            _I feel are safe enough with you_  
            _I give you a story to keep to your heart_  
            _And from your lips these words should never depart_  
            _The guardians are near, the elements of life's existence_  
            _They wait for you dear, are you yearning for them?  
  
_

            Crystal tears rolled down Mercury's cheeks as she finished her song, eyes closed. With a snap her eyes reopened and their gazes locked once more. Usagi couldn't look away as Mercury beckoned with her arms and calmly walked off stage. Usagi panicked! Where was she going?! She couldn't leave now! Usagi stared back at the stage and almost cried in fear when she lost sight of the water Senshi. Her eyes darted among the stage fervently, skipping over the crowd and searching for that blue head. Seconds later she spotted the girl, exiting through a side door that led to the lobby.   
  


            Without hesitation, Usagi rose from her seat and left out the curtained balcony, none of the boys noticing her departure. Quickly she maneuvered through the dense crowd of people in the hall, surprised they weren't watching the performance. She pushed her way forward, earning glares and curses as she made her way down the stairs. She raced down the hall and dashed into the lobby, halting abruptly to avoid hitting a waiter. He cursed at her in Russian but she ignored him as she looked around the room. No one was there. The bartender sat behind his serving bar, cleaning glasses and conversing with a pretty woman. A couple sat at a table drinking cocktails, but that was all, no Mercury, no senshi.  
  


            "Iie," whispered Usagi, "She was there, I know what I saw!" But the truth was, nothing was there. Usagi sighed in defeat and leaned heavily against a wall. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to rationalize what happened, and when she opened them again, her breath stopped. The door, it was open. Cracked more like it, but still it held all the evidence she needed. Someone had passed through here. Renewed hope in her heart, she rushed through the door and paid no heed to the sudden cold.   
  


            Snow swirled around her in white brilliance, covering the ground in a thick blanket. Usagi trudged through it regardless, the biting wind sending chills down her spine. She'd forgotten her coat in her haste to catch Mercury, so now she traveled only in her dress and heels. Her stockings became soaked, the feeling in her toes long gone, but she didn't stop or go back. She could see her now, about twenty feet ahead of her.  
  


            "Mercury!" she called, her voice lost in the wind. Mercury paused and Usagi speeded up. Mercury turned to smile and beckon Usagi once again with her arm before continuing on.  
  


            "MERCURY!" Usagi called once more, but the woman ignored her. Usagi began to run, her legs starting to become numb. Her arms felt like dead weights and her nose was no longer pink, but red. She sniffled and ran faster to catch up to Mercury. They continued this way for what seemed an eternity, Usagi gaining and losing. Once she'd heard her name being called behind her, but she ignored it and pushed on.  
  


            Suddenly Mercury stopped. She turned and waited as Usagi caught up, hope shining in her eyes. Mercury held out her arm in silent invitation, smile generous and promising comfort. Usagi came closer, never noticing the change in the stabilization of the ground. She paused once as she heard it creak, her heel stepping in a hole. Usagi yanked it out and continued walking, never noticing the water welling up from the hole where her heel had been. Mercury was a little ways away now, no more than five feet. Mercury's eyes shone with light as Usagi stretched her arm out and reached for her.  
  


            "Serenity," she whispered and vanished. Usagi stopped and stared in shock. Where did she go?  
  


            "Mercury," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes, "Mercury! Iie!! Come back to me!" With a wail of despair Usagi collapsed onto the ground. She never felt the shifting of the ground as she sobbed. Ice began to crack beneath her weight, but she didn't notice. Her surroundings were lost to her, her grief overwhelming above all. Why did Mercury leave her?  
  


            "Why? WHY!" with an anguished sob she pounded her fists on the ground in frustration. Big mistake.  
  


            ***CRASH***  
  


            "EIIIIEEI-" Usagi's scream was cut off as the icy, black water surged into her mouth.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "MMMMMMYYYY **HHEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT**!!"  
  


            Heero jerked awake as the deafening applause ensued. He straightened in his chair as the mermaid lady left the stage, bouquets of flowers thrown behind her. He rubbed his eyes and stifled his yawn as he stretched out. This had to be the most boring thing he'd ever attended. If Duo hadn't blackmailed him with last week's incident, he wouldn't be here now. It was strange indeed. Little things like that never used to bother him, but ever since Usagi came along, he'd changed. Usagi. Just thinking of her gave him the impetus to catch a glimpse of the radiant blond. He didn't know why, but he was attracted to her in some way, the kiss from only a week ago still blazing brightly in his mind. Why did she make him feel this way? What was it he felt for her? He didn't know, and probably never would. In any event, Usagi probably didn't feel the same way. After all, she'd only known him for two weeks! Counting the times they'd ran into each other on missions. Unconsciously he rubbed his arm, the wound where Usagi had shot him. It was healing okay, at a surprisingly fast rate. Still, it was two weeks that felt like months.   


            With an imperceptible sigh, Heero turned his head to see if Usagi was still awake. His hands gripped the arms of the chair as he stared in sudden shock. She was gone! He looked around worriedly, but saw no sign of her. Her coat was still on her chair, half thrown off as if she'd left in a hurry.  
  


            "Duo, where's Usagi?" Duo turned from his task of annoying the sleeping Wufei to look up in wide-eyed innocence.  
  


            "What? Gomen, I didn't hear what you said." Heero suppressed the urge to choke Duo and repeated his question. Duo scratched his head in confusion and shrugged.  
  


            "Gee, I dunno. Maybe she went to the bathroom or something."  
  


            "The bathroom is all the way on the other side, outside the building. She would've taken her coat," Duo shrugged again.  
  


            "Maybe she forgot it?" He offered. Heero growled in annoyance and left, snatching her coat and putting his on in the process. He didn't buy it; Usagi wasn't that dumb. He was a soldier; he knew the signs of a frantic departure.   
  


            Duo scratched his head as he watched Heero leave.  
  


            "What's with him lately? You'd think Usagi was his girlfrie......eh......never mind," and he turned back to piling his paper balls on Wufei's face. The program never saw it coming as Duo ripped another piece of paper off it and balled it up.  
  


            "Just one more," he whispered and placed the last bit of paper on the massive pyramid atop Wufei's face.  
  


            "Perfect!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Heero raced down the hall hurriedly, one thing on his mind. Usagi. When he'd left the balcony, he had asked an English-speaking hall monitor if he'd seen a blond girl run through. The guy said he'd seen a gorgeous blond in a blue and gold dragon dress run through there towards the lobby. He didn't even get to finish his sentence before Heero was gone. He arrived in the lobby minutes later and pulled aside a serving boy. He questioned him same as the hall monitor and got the same answer.   
  


            "Ya, I saw a pretty blond run through here about five minutes ago, damn near ran me over. Anyway she comes in here, leans against the wall, says something I don't understand and closes her eyes. Next thing you know, I hear her gasp and she runs out the door, no coat or nothin. Crazy if you ask me. Hey wh-" Heero took off, the guy still rambling behind him. Usagi was out there, in the cold. The crazy girl had left without a coat or anything. It was suicide! The temperature was below zero and she had the nerve to go for a walk! To say he was pissed would be an understatement. He was fairly livid! He knew what it was, she was chasing one of her delusional visions again.   
  


            He paused outside to try and gain his bearings. There was no way of telling which way she'd gone. He was about to take off blindly in the snow when something caught his eye. Heero bent down and examined a glistening object in the snow, recognizing it instantly. It was Usagi's pearl bracelet. Then he saw it, the footprints leading north. Already they were filling up with snow, but he could still make them out, headed straight for the lake.  
  


            Alarmed with the bit of revealing news he quickly took off, running to catch up to the already ahead Usagi. She had a five-minute lead and he'd be hard pressed to catch her. Adrenaline raced through his veins as he ran, one goal in mind. He had to catch her; there was no telling what she'd get into.  
  


            It was awhile before he spotted her, blond hair whipping in the wind and blue dress soaked with snow. She was just running for no reason, nothing but snow in front of her.   
  


             "Usagi," he called, trying to gain her attention. She didn't hear him and instead pressed on. Several times he heard a name being called out, sounded like Mercury. Mercury? Why would she be calling for a planet? Then with dread he remembered something: Galaxia's story. Mercury had been one of the scouts Usagi was supposedly the leader of.   
  


            "Usagi!" Heero called to her again as she stopped in the middle of nowhere. He paused, uncertain of what was happening. When Usagi made no move he stepped forward.  
  


            *_creak_* Heero jumped back as he heard it and glanced down. Ice! Usagi was in the middle of the frozen lake! If it cracked.....  
  


            Heero made up his mind and stepped onto the ice, ignoring the creaking and the cracks. He made his way slowly towards her, determined to keep the ice solid. His head jerked up as he heard her cry in anguish and collapse onto the ground. He held his breath. The ice held. He let out his breath and continued on, silently praying she didn't do anything else stupid. He was close enough to see her now, notice her shaking shoulders, and deathly pale skin.  
  


            "Why? WHY!!" and she pounded on the ice.  
  


            ***CRASH***  
  


            "EIIIIEEI-"  
  


            "Usagi!" Heero sprinted across the distance and ran full speed. She was drowning! Her arms flailed about wildly trying to get a grip. Quickly he dived across the ice and grabbed her arm as she began to sink. Gritting his teeth, he sprang up and yanked her out the water. Heero pulled her close and stepped back from the edge. Once he was sure the ice was stable he held her out at arms length and checked over her. Usagi panted heavily, coughing up lungfuls of water as she breathed. Heero let her cough up all the water, arms holding her steady; she was too weak to stand on her own.  
  


            Suddenly the ice began to creak under his feet and Heero jumped back as it broke. The lake, it was breaking up! Heero pulled Usagi close again and began to run, narrowly missing the open water. Several times he slipped and almost fell in the water, but desperation fueled him and he got up, running again.   
  


            Usagi tried hard to keep up as she was pulled along by Heero, held close to his side. Her feet barely touched the ground as he sprinted. When he fell his grip loosened a little and Usagi was forced to run on her own. Her legs were so sore, she was so tired, so cold. Usagi's eyes closed once in tiredness and she tripped. Heero cursed as he was dragged down with her. Usagi cried in pain as he roughly got up and jerked her to her feet. The bank was a few feet away. Heero panicked as he noticed the ice by the bank beginning to break up. They were trapped! He looked behind him. The water was catching up fast, ice breaking and falling into the black water. He finally made up his mind and picked Usagi up, arms under her legs and back. With a crouch, Heero jumped with all his might just as the ice gave beneath them. They landed on the bank with a thud and rolled a few feet.   
  


            He lay on the ground for a while, Usagi on top of him, catching his breath and listening to her labored breathing. Then he suddenly remembered where they were and got up, forcing Usagi to stand on her feet against her protest. He looked around him and finally spotted it, her coat where he'd dropped it on the bank. Making sure she could stand on her own he went to retrieve it. Then he placed it around her shivering, dripping wet form. Usagi's teeth chattered loudly, her hair plastered to her body and face. Heero took one of her hands and placed it in his own. It felt like ice. Usagi would freeze to death if he didn't get her out of the cold. Hoping to ward off more of the chill, he took off his own coat and placed it around her, buttoning in all her arms and leaving her wet hair out.  
  


            "Usagi, daijobu ka?" He waited silently for her to answer, but the only sound made was the chattering of her teeth. Usagi was too cold to answer, to shocked to think coherently. Heero cursed. Of all the stupid stunts to pull she picked this! If she weren't so important, he'd kill her. He set aside his irrational thoughts and took a deep breath to calm himself. He needed to be clearheaded right now. First things first, he needed to get her out of those wet clothes, therefore travel back to the hotel was necessary.  
  


            Plan in mind, Heero picked Usagi up and hefted her over his shoulder. He ran back to the streets, the journey to the lake quite a distance from everything else. Five minutes later they emerged on the street and he hailed a cab.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Heero stood Usagi on her own two feet and closed the door behind him. The room was dark, freezing, and not the best place to be. Silently he felt along the chilled wall until he felt the light switch and flicked it on. His eyes protested to the sudden invasion of light and he blinked awhile to adjust. When he was settled he went to the task of seeing to the hypothermic blond. Usagi was worse than before, skin a tint of blue, her teeth chattering still, and yet she struggled to speak.  
  


            "HHH....Heee....eee....rrr...rr...oo I ssss..... sss.... a....aw...... her!" she stuttered, "I....I.....I.... ss...ss.. ssss.... ss..... ssaa-" Heero placed a hand to her chattering lips and silenced her with a glare.  
  


            "Baka, you're this close to dying and I don't feel like hearing any excuses why." He then moved to undress her. He took off the coat with difficulty, her wet hair, fallen out of it's grand style and hanging down her back getting in the way. That done, he underwent the embarrassing task of removing her dress. The behind the neck tie had a layer of ice over it and he struggled awhile before the knot finally came undone. Unexpectedly the dress fell. In a sudden fit of modesty, Heero closed his eyes and spun around before it fell all the way to the floor. He wasn't a pervert. He snatched the comforter off the bed, held it up so his face was covered, and turned around. Speedily he wrapped the blanket around her, leading her to the bed and forcing her to sit, then made his way to the suitcases and pulled out two of the thickest sweaters. One he put on to ward off the chill. The other, he temporarily unwrapped Usagi, pulled the sweater over her head, rewrapping her and laying her down on the bed. He made sure he removed her shoes and thigh high stockings before leaving her to sleep. He went around the room then and turned all the heaters up to the highest.  
  


            After ten minutes, Usagi still hadn't stopped shaking and it seemed her color had gotten paler. Heero cursed and felt her forehead. It was ice cold! What now? The heat was up; she was layered in blankets and still not any better. What else could he do? Then a revelation struck him, something he remembered Doctor J telling him before leaving on a mission in the arctic.  
  


            _"My boy, if you happen to be traveling and your partner becomes hypothermic, the best possible cure is body heat."_  
  


            Heero stared at Usagi for a while before finally making up his mind. He climbed into bed with the shivering girl and unwrapped the blanket, pulling it around himself as he pulled Usagi close. Her icy cold skin almost made him leave, but he resolved to stick it out. Usagi, sensing heat closer to her, wrapped her arms around him and twined her legs with his. After half an hour she was asleep. Heero lay awake for a moment, listening to her shallow breathing as she slowly began to heat up. It wasn't too long after that he joined her in slumber, tired and worn out.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Heero jerked awake roughly as the pounding at the door invaded his dreams. Mumbling curses he untangled himself from Usagi's embrace, her legs entwined with his and arms around his waist. Never in his life had he ended up in a bed with the same person so many times.  
  


            He purged all other thoughts from his mind and angrily opened the door, only to be greeted with the beaming face of Duo.  
  


            "About time you answered the door! I've been banging on it for ten minutes!" Heero glared at him and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.  
  


            "What do you want," The ice in his tone was enough to freeze fire. Duo by now was used to the grouchiness of his co partner and shrugged it off.   
  


            "The others were kinda worried when you and Usagi didn't came back to the theater. The show was over three hours ago! Why'd you leave anyway and not came back? You and Usagi weren't..." Heero's face remained impassive. Duo, seeing he wouldn't get a thing out of Heero by teasing him, didn't finish his sentence. Heero glowered at the braided boy. Why did Duo always have to imply things? It was then that he noticed Duo was traveling solo.  
  


            "Why are you the only one here," Duo grinned broadly.  
  


            "I was worried about you, dude! Besides I didn't wanna be there when Wufei woke up." Heero frowned, getting the feeling Duo was up to something.  
  


            "Why not," It was a demand, not a question.  
  


            ***BAM***  
  


            "MAXWELL!! KISAMA!! WHEN I FIND YOU YOU'RE DEAD!!" Duo sweatdropped  
  


            "That's why." Two more bangs echoed down the hall followed by the sound of steel sliding against leather. Duo's eyes suddenly grew huge.  
  


            "Kuso," he whispered, "Wufei's got his kitana out!" Desperately he grabbed Heero's shirt, eyes begging.  
  


            "Heero, please, hide me!! I think he's gonna kill me this time! You wouldn't want to see your best friend massacred would ya?" Heero frowned and pried Duo's hands off his shirt.  
  


            "Duo, a thought suddenly came to mind of my room and Relena Peacecraft. You do the math,"  
  


            *_SLAM_* 

            Duo blinked and stared at the closed door awhile before it finally sunk in.  
  


            "Heero!! Why! How could you do this to me? I can't believe you're still sore about the Relena thing, I didn't mean it...really! I....." Heero rolled his eyes as he listened to Duo rant, pounding on the door as Wufei drew closer. It served the baka right, always playing pranks and never being punished for it. He hmphed and made his way to the small table then, taking a seat and opening his laptop even as the noise reached a crescendo outside his door.  
  


            "MAXWELL!! BAKAYARO!! PREPARE TO **DIE**!!!"  
  


            "Wu-man, please, calm down. It was just a joke! I'm sorry, really I am, you forgive me....right?"  
  


            *THUNK*  
  


            Heero almost flinched at the sound of metal striking wood. He turned his head and stared at the door, which happened to have a kitana sticking through it. Luckily, no blood.  
  


            "MAXWELL COWARD!! GET BACK HERE!!"   
  


            "IS IDIOT STAMPED ON MY FOREHEAD? NO WAY!!" The kitana was roughly pulled from the door, followed by the sounds of rapidly running footsteps and loud curses.   
  


            Heero scowled disdainfully at the crack in the door. Somebody was going to pay for that, and it wasn't going to be him. He cast thoughts of the incident to the back of his mind and focused once more on the task at hand. He glanced over to Usagi, making sure the girl was still asleep. It was a wonder she could doze through that ruckus earlier, even now he could hear countless other occupants of the hotel yelling complaints down the hall. Usagi was oblivious to it all, body curled up in the comforter and features relaxed. Sure that the girl would awake none too soon, Heero got up and rummaged through his suitcase, searching for the one thing he'd been hesitant to look at lest Usagi find out. The disk, here was his chance to see what it held, see what caused Usagi to take such risks as she did with her life. Secrets would be revealed, things that might decide their next move on the mission.   
  


            His groping hand finally closed around the plastic case and he pulled it free, stopping to check the label before proceeding to the table. With one last glance to the slumbering bunny, he inserted the disk and sat back as it played.  
  


            It took awhile for the contents to load, but when they did, a black screen popped up, a video. Heero watched in curiosity as a green haired woman appeared, her maroon eyes and tanned skin proclaiming her to be exotic, a woman who would never be found in these parts. Her head was held high even as her eyes watered with unshed tears. She sniffled once, dabbed at her eyes with a piece of tissue, and staged a placid facade.  
  


            "If you're watching this, then I have failed in my duty and the princess has been reborn. To the viewer of this disk, you need not know my name, only that I am...was a protector of the woman who resides with you. I know she is with you, her heart urged her to take this from hence it was stored and discover the truths it held, truths I shall reveal to you. Lacking a name, I shall give you my title. Time Guardian I am called, protector of the gates of time. Alas, the gates have no protector now, for I am dead, yes, you heard me, dead. Killed in the attack against Galaxia. I knew my fate, same as I knew the princess's, and still, I wish I could've prevented it."  
  


            The woman paused then, taking a deep sigh and recollecting her bearings before continuing on with her tale.  
  


            "This disk has a sole purpose: to inform the viewer of the urgency of the situation and explain the outlines of the mission."  
  


            Heero's interest suddenly peaked. Mission? Did she say mission? If there was one thing that Heero paid attention to, it was a mission.  
  


            "Chaos has escaped and taken form once again no doubt. It may not seem like it yet, but its reign will be the end of the universe as we know it. Chaos in its new form will only be the embodiment of evil, and evil should never be allowed to roam free. To counter this ultimate evil, the ultimate goodness was created: the ginzouishu and the Lunarian race. Only a true blooded Lunarian could control the crystal, one who had a true heart and understood the consequences. In the princess's case, the ginzouishu has found the ultimate purity and innocence, and therefore, bound itself to her for eternity. The ginzouishu will always come forth when the need arises for battle and the princess, being a part of the ginzouishu now, will always be reborn and called upon to perform her duty. I tried to prevent this from happening, saw the future and knew the consequences would be great. In your day and time, evil has arisen, slowly and barely noticeable at first, but now it is clear the state of the world is in. Look around you. Is it stable outside? Can you step outside the door and not encounter a vile act? War, death, tragedy, genocide, massacre, tyranny, communism, democracy, political warfare. Is your world full of this? Your universe, turned upside down and filled with these things? All a sign that Chaos has arrived and is ready to exact revenge on the universe that denied it."  
  


            "Having explained the graveness of the situation, I shall now explain the mission. Yes, you have to contribute to this, you hold the princess and this disk, and you have the responsibility of saving the universe. The princess has four main guardians, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter, each the respectful owner of her planet. Each possessing the power needed to help the princess in the future battle. I have news for you....they are alive! But not as you'd expect them to be. They were not reborn as mere mortals, no; their souls would not allow it. They have returned to maintaining their rightful powers, as goddesses. Your mission should you choose to accept, is to retrieve them. I can't tell you how, that you shall decide for yourself. Know that each resides on her respectful planet and has the power to destroy you should you fail. Of all the things you must accomplish, this goal is perhaps the greatest. The princess needs her guardians, more so than she admits. Without them, she'll fail. Above all things, even the mission, you must remember the greatest power of all is needed to defeat Chaos for good, the power of Love. Without Love, the universe will be doomed."  
  


            "I have said all that is necessary, to say more would alter the future, and the future has already been altered enough. I leave you on this note: Gather the guardians, do not fail. And remember what is needed to save your universe. I have one request of you though. I know the princess will never see this disk, it will self-destruct thirty seconds after the video ends. Could you, possibly, tell her I said hi, and that I miss her. Tell her we all do and we love her very much, that if it had been my decision alone, she would be here with us and not the bleak future she has now. Please Heero, do this for me."  
  


            The video ended then, and a countdown from thirty began. Heero was too shocked to notice. She knew his name! How?! This tape was thousands of years old! How did she know his name?!   
  


            Twenty seconds  
  


            How did that woman know Usagi was there? **HOW DID SHE KNOW HIS NAME**!! Heero was so confused, not to mention, creeped out. He didn't expect something like this, something so strange. He concluded that he was just imagining things, that the woman hadn't said his name at all. Yep, that's it, he was just imagining it. Heero took a deep breath and relaxed. No worries, it was just a hallucination.  
  


            _Fifteen seconds_  
  


            "Heero I suggest you throw this disk away before it destroys your laptop," Heero jumped out his seat at the woman's voice. What the hell?!! It was then that he noticed where it came from: the computer. Which at the moment was informing him he had ten seconds to dispose of the disk. Without caring, he yanked it out of the cd-rom drive and rushed over to the window, kicked it open and tossed the disk out.  
  


            *_Boom_*  
  


            Heero sagged against the sill as the last remnants of the disk settled on the ground. All gone, it was gone. And he didn't even get a chance to copy it. He sighed, one of the few emotions he'd been doing lately and turned around, closing the window behind him. Sitting once again at the table, he turned his chair to face the bed and slumbering Usagi. What now? He'd seen the disk, something Galaxia had urged him to do and it gave him little answers. Not only that, but an impossible mission. Retrieve the guardians? What kind of bull was that? It was common knowledge that the planets sustained no life, all inhabitable and this woman was telling him to retrieve the guardians? The more he thought about it, the more Heero realized he was crazy. He had to be. Kidnapping strange girls who had crescent moons on their foreheads, creepy woman who could vanish in an instant, wacko girl who was supposedly from the past, and now this: goddesses on the planets!   
  


            If he'd been normal, he might have cracked, but being one used to the annoying and odd quirks of life, Heero was taking this surprisingly well. So far all had proven to be true, Galaxia's story about Usagi and what the woman had said on the disk. The wars, political battles, genocides, all of it was true. So, he concluded, this also had to be correct.   
  


            Heero placed his head in his hands and rubbed his temples vigorously. What now? How were they supposed to go on from here? A noise sounded from the bed and Heero glance up to see Usagi, eyes open and blinking. They stared at one another, prussian clashing with sapphire in a silent war. It was then that he made up his mind, knew what it was they had to do. Averting his eyes, he got up from the chair and moved to his suitcase. They were going back to Quatre's place.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "I don't see why you had to come back here Heero," complained Duo for the thirteenth time. Heero gritted his teeth and prayed the drive would be over soon. They'd been traveling for a long time in Quatre's personal limousine and needless to say, tempers were wearing thin. Between Duo, Usagi, and Wufei, he didn't know who he wanted to kill first. A wise decision was to keep quiet, and that's exactly what he did.  
  


            "I'm hungry! Are we there yet?" Usagi's stomach seemed to agree with her as it growled, loudly.  
  


            "Grrrr! Onna! You and your damned stomach need to shut up!"  
  


            "Don't start with me china boy!"  
  


            "I wouldn't if you would keep your mouth shut!"  
  


            "I can't help it if I'm hungry baka! We can't all survive on our ego's like you!" Quatre placed a restraining hand between the two as they lunged for each other across the limo.  
  


            "Minna, please, we're almost there. Look, the house is over the next hill so just stay calm till then." Usagi mumbled a few choice words and slouched in her seat, Wufei following her example and glaring daggers through her. Usagi stuck her tongue out at him and grinned as his face turned red.  
  


            "Heero! Unless you want her dead, I suggest you keep your koibito on a leash and teach her some manners!" Usagi blushed furiously. With a cry of indignation she leapt across the car and tackled Wufei, Duo getting caught up in the fight as they wrestled around the car.  
  


            "Why you little!" Usagi and Wufei's shouts and curses echoed, followed by Duo's shouts of protest and Quatre trying to separate them.  
  


            "You guys please! Not here!  
  


            "Get off me you weak brat!"  
  


            "Yaro! I'll show you who's weak!"  
  


            "Hey get off my braid!"  
  


            "Stop fighting please!"  
  


            "Who's weak now huh?!"  
  


            "GET OFF IDIOT!"  
  


            "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
  


            "Stop fighting!"  
  


            "ARGHH PSYCHOTIC TRICK! LET GO OF ME NOW!  
  


            "PSYCHOTIC!! I'LL SHOW YOU JACKASS!!"  
  


            "OWW!! GET OFF OF ME YOU DORKS!!  
  


            "STOP IT!!"  
  


            "BEG FOR MERCY BAKA!!"  
  


            "NEVER RETARD!!"  
  


            "WILL YOU TWO PLEASE LET ME UP!!"  
  


            "THAT'S IT!!"  
  


            *click*  
  


            ***BANG***  
  


            All activity halted as one by one, heads turned to gawk at....Trowa? Trowa sat there, smoking gun levered at them and angry expression on his face, visible green eye glittering with unrestrained rage. A hole in the roof filtered the evening's dwindling sunlight.  
  


            "All of you sit down and shut up. If I hear one peep, just one growl, one hiss, I see one tongue or anything, I'll shoot you. Do I make myself clear?" Heads nodded vigorously as they all separated and resumed their seats. Wufei and Quatre sat next to each other across from Duo, Usagi and Heero. Trowa resumed his seat next to Quatre and put his gun away. Heero couldn't help as a smirk tickled at his lips.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            "Ugh, it's about time we got here. Hurry and open the door Quatre."  
  


            "Okay Usagi, give me a minute to find my keys." Quatre fumbled around in his pocket for a while, searching for his keys underneath the broken porch light. It was too dark to see anything, but finally he managed to locate his keys and open the door.  
  


            "Why is it so dark in here?" Curses soon followed as they all filed into the living room, bumping into furniture.  
  


            "ITAI! *sniffle* My poor foot."  
  


            "Stop whining onna!"  
  


            "Shut up!"  
  


            *click* Silence once again reigned as they moved into the den, almost blind in the dark. Heero decided to take the initiative and felt along the wall until he found the light switch, flicking it on and flooding light into the room.  
  


            "Konban wa minna, motsu yoi ryoko suru?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
**Shorty**: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! CLIFFHANGER!! YES!!! NOW YOU SHALL FLAME ME AND THREATEN ME UNTIL I GET OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER!!  
  
Okay minna, so I'm slow at getting these chapters out. Sorry, please forgive me. I don't mean to take so long, it's just that life seems to be so fast paced of late....you know? Ne wayz, stay tuned for the next chapter. We'll find out who is in the house and what this person wants.   
While I'm here, I want to say thanks to all the readers who support me and give me compliments. Without you guy's input, this fic would never've been written. Thanks to Bunny-chan for letting me beta read her fic! It's coming along nicely! And Traci and Moon goddess (Brooke) and Zpan Sven and Tenshi who's fic Forever Afters gave me the inspiration to write this chapter. Also all the people who have been reviewing my fic. You guys are the best!! You truly do make my day!! I think next time I'll type all the names of anyone who's ever given me a good review.   
  
Now that I got that out....  
  
1) If any of you are big Sisqo fans, you'll notice part of Mercury's song came from his song "Enchantment Passing Through" featuring Dru Hill. I couldn't help myself, it was so perfect for this fic. And it's one of my favorite songs from his album. *sigh* I think I'll go listen to it now........  
  
Wufei: Ahem.....since the baka author seems to be out of it right now, I'm taking over! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Finally REVENGE!!!!!  
*silence*  
Wufei: Eh? Where'd they all go? *sniffle* I didn't even get to tell them to review.


	7. What Are You Doing Here?

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VII   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Excuse#786573: I uh...have a...um.... uh...hmmmm (I need a really good excuse this time. Duo! 

Duo: Nani? 

Shorty: Give me good excuse. 

Duo: Uh...I know! You broke your back playing Frisbee on the roof of the white house and you fell when you tried to catch it while doing a back flip and landing on one foot while singing Lady Marmalade and doing the Macarena! *cheez* 

Shorty: I guess that'll work!)   
  
Konnichi wa minna! I'm back. Well this chapter isn't too long, but I promise you the next two will be as some interesting characters enter the picture. **^o^**  
  
Translations:  
  
Konban wa minna, motsu yoi ryoko suru? - Good evening everyone. How was your journey? (or something like that. I can't remember the exact translation, but hey, I got it out of a Japanese/English dictionary *grin*)  
KISAMA - very rude word to call someone **@o@**  
Gomen nasai - very sorry  
Chotto matte - wait a minute  
MUKUCHI NA - Silence!  
Onna - woman  
Yameru/yamu - stop it/stop  
Onegai - please  
Daijobu - it's alright  
Arigatou - thank you  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer:   
_Quatre nervously shuffles up to the edge of the computer screen, a white flag in his hands. He waves it tentatively before setting it aside and pulling a piece of paper from behind his back.  
_  
**Quatre**: The author and dear friend of mine would like to express her apologies to the fans of this story. She wishes to make up for her laziness by producing a chapter that will hopefully spark your interests once again and redeem her in your eyes. She expresses her grief by not being here due to her fear of tomatoes. She also asks that you not harass her spokesman, me, and instead take out your anger on the dummy provided. ALL RIGHT BOYS.... ROLL HIM OUT!  
  
_Trowa and Goten emerge from behind a curtain pushing a stand with a frightened man on it. He's been strapped to a steel backed thing with duck tape over his mouth to prevent him from screaming, but you can still hear it. Trowa and Goten leave after checking the restraints.  
_  
**Quatre**: Shorty hopes the dummy provided will be good enough to relieve your anger. If not, another can be provided. Shorty would also like to say, sadly, that she does not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, and for that matter, Dragon Ball Z. She says however, that this will change as soon as she is mentally stable and able to leave the anime nut house. Once again, Shorty hopes that Mamoru-baka will provide you with an outlet to bestow your anger upon.  
  
_Quatre stops to give a sympathetic stare to the strapped Mamoru.  
_  
**Quatre**: Thank you and have a good day. *_leaves_*  
  
_Mamoru sweatdrops as he notices the mass amounts of angry readers glaring at him._  
  
**Mamoru**: .............**.O-O**;   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VII   
  
  
Midnight of Shadows  
  
  
  


            "Konban wa minna, motsu yoi ryoko suru?"  
  


            Heero had to physically restrain himself from jumping out of his skin. Duo on the other hand wasn't so lucky.  
  


            "EEEEEEKKKK!" he squealed, "EGADS LADY!! YOU SCARED THE SKIZITS OUT OF ME!!" Wufei growled in annoyance and mumbled obscenities beneath Duo who happened to be covering his head.  
  


            "Get OFF KISAMA!" Duo reluctantly climbed off. Usagi's eyes eventually returned to their sockets as her breathing evened out. Quatre paled considerably before flushing in embarrassment. Trowa was unaffected. Quatre put a hand behind his head and laughed sheepishly.  
  


            "You gave us quite a scare there miss-"  
  


            "Gomen nasai Quatre-san," she said, rudely cutting him off, "but no one was home so I decided to let myself in. I never meant to alarm you all so. Is everyone all right?" Her light blue eyes flashed with concern as she regarded the assembled teens. Her eyes rested on Heero and a flash of recognition danced across them. Heero allowed himself to grimace in annoyance before turning away.   
  


            Quatre once again put on his host face and smiled warmly.   
  


            "Why don't we go sit in the den and discuss why you're here?" This of course was directed at the young lady before them. She nodded her head regally and turned in the direction of the room, intent on leading the group.  
  


            "Chotto matte!" Usagi's shout halted the girl's advance. Usagi walked right up to the girl and stood in front of her, her fists planted on hips in a threatening manner. Nobody snuck into Quatre's mansion and got away with it. And why didn't the others threaten the girl as they had so many other visitors? This all seemed a tad bit unusual to her. If anything, she wanted to know why the girl sparked a feeling of familiarity in her. Usagi felt she had seen this girl somewhere before.  
  


            "Who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked hotly, her curiosity at its peek. The girl smiled warmly.  
  


            "I should be asking the same of you Tenshi. But since I am familiar with your history and background already, I suppose an introduction from you is not needed," the gasp from Usagi was her only reply, "Since you don't remember me, allow me to break the ice. Watakushi wa Relena Peacecraft, Princess of the Sanq Kingdom."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Once they were all assembled in the den, Relena allowed herself to relax. She collapsed in an armchair and smiled gratefully as Quatre handed her a cup of tea, then took up residence in the armchair beside hers. Relena sipped her tea while the others chose seats. She opened her mouth to say something but was rudely cut off by Wufei.  
  


            "Why are you here Peacecraft? The real reason and not some lame excuse to visit us like last time," His onyx eyes flashed steel as he glared at her.   
  


            "It's a long story Chang-san, and I will tell it if you would stop questioning me and allow me to finish. Now to answer your first question, I'm here on behalf of Galaxia-sa--"  
  


            "Galaxia!" exclaimed Usagi, worry etched into her features, "What's happened to her? Is she ok? Did Treize hurt her? Is she dead? KAMI-SAMA! She's not dead is she?! Oh I don't kno-"  
  


            "**MUKUCHI NA!**" roared Wufei, "Onna if you don't be quiet we won't find out!" Usagi almost launched herself at Wufei, but Heero's hand grabbed the back of her pink overalls and prevented her. Instead she huffed and sat back down next to him. Relena frowned at her before returning to her sentence.  
  


            "As I was saying, I'm here on behalf of Galaxia-sama. She's perfectly fine. Due to certain circumstances, she asked me to condone this meeting in her place."   
  


            "And what do you need to know?" asked Trowa.  
  


            "Only what happened while you were away," she continued, "Did Tenshi have any more visions since the last time Galaxia-sama saw her? And don't give me half an answer either. Galaxia-sama asked that I know exactly how many so she can determine Tenshi's status."   
  


            "Six," answered Heero when the others failed to do so, "One at the train station, some minor ones during the week, and one the day before we came here." Usagi pouted in protest at Heero for telling her business. Heero ignored her. Relena nodded as she contemplated the situation.  
  


            "I see the attacks are becoming more frequent. Did you encounter any trouble while you were gone? Any of Treize's troops show up? Any civilians try to stop you?"  
  


            "No, no, and no," quipped Duo.  
  


            "Anything damaged that could raise suspicion?"  
  


            "No," growled Wufei while narrowing his eyes at a grinning Duo.  
  


            "Did you contact anyone and let them know of your whereabouts?  
  


            "No," spoke Quatre.  
  


            "Did you encounter any spies or persons who were suspicious?  
  


            "No," finished Trowa. Relena nodded after absorbing all the information.  
  


            "Good. This meeting then is finished. I will inform Galaxia-sama of your progress and let her know you have returned. She should be here in a week's time or less." Relena stood up and gave a curt bow, then turned to leave.  
  


            "Matte!" called Usagi once again. Relena stopped and turned around.  
  


            "Hai Tenshi? What is it?"   
  


            Usagi's nose wrinkled a moment in frustration, and then, "How do you know who I am?" Relena smiled as if it were obvious.  
  


            "Why, Galaxia-sama told me of course."  
  


            Usagi shook her head, "Iie, that's not what I mean. You keep calling me Tenshi, and if Galaxia had informed you about me, she would have addressed me as Usagi. Also, you said, I didn't remember you. Why wouldn't I remember you Relena? Have we met?"   
  


            Relena frowned. So Tenshi was smarter than she gave credit too. She hadn't meant to let that information slip. She thought about it a moment, than finally retook her seat. If Tenshi wanted to know, she would tell her. There was no sense in denying her the information due her.  
  


            "Tenshi, I want you to understand something. Galaxia-sama and I have a very long history together. True, she is working for Treize, but she was an agent for the Peacecraft family first. After Milliardo and I's real parents were killed, Galaxia-sama put us into the custody of foster parents. Milliardo was old enough to know these weren't his real parents, but I was too young. When he was old enough, Milliardo set out on his own, and that is his own tale to tell. I grew up with my foster parents. Once, when I was about seven years old, Galaxia-sama came to visit me once again. She had another little girl with her, someone I didn't recognize. I asked who that was, and Galaxia-sama introduced us. It was you. Tenshi, she called you, as if you had no real name. You were so happy to meet me, a little too happy...." Relena trailed off then, eyes downcast as she became lost in memory.   
  


            "I remember that day so well. You and I, we became good companions and played all day long. Then, around sunset, we went to play in the sand box. I remember a great shadow seemed to fall over us and we looked up to see a dark man. He frowned down at us. He yelled at you, saying what a pathetic excuse for a soldier you were, what a waste of time and effort. And you cried. You stood there and cried as he yelled at you, calling you every vile name in the book. Galaxia-sama was in the house at the time, but she came out then and when she saw that man yelling at you, she went ballistic. She ran over and snatched you up. The man, Galaxia-sama called him C, he was furious. He and Galaxia-sama argued. He kept saying how she didn't have enough control over you. He said he would report this to Treize-sama. Galaxia-sama argued back saying how it was none of his business how she raised you and if he didn't like it, he should reconsider his position as Treize's advisor and become a trainer.   
  


            "C said something to Galaxia-sama then, something I can't quite remember, and she went off. She yelled at him for a long time, and then...and then she...she shot the man in the head. I was shocked. Galaxia-sama just stared at his dead body. She put you back down then and told us to stay put. I couldn't move, I was too paralyzed with fear. You acted like it was nothing. When Galaxia-sama came back, she had a plastic bag and a wheel burrow. She put C's body in the bag and dumped it into the wheel burrow. While she was doing this, you suddenly collapsed, shuddering and writhing on the ground. Galaxia-sama told me to run, but I couldn't move. She pushed me then and told me to run into the house. I did. I was so scared I hid in the closet, shivering and crying. It wasn't until Pagan came looking for me that I finally emerged. When I asked him about Galaxia-sama, he said she'd left hours ago." Relena paused again to take a deep breath.  
  


            "You see Tenshi, the conditions we met under were somewhat strained. That was the last I ever saw or heard of you. Galaxia-sama never paid me a visit until many years later. That is why I'm here now. She asked me for a favor and I could not refuse her."   
  


            Usagi was a bit overwhelmed with the sleuth of new information and nodded. She sighed as Relena watched her. Why couldn't she remember that day? As hard as she tried, not one thing Relena said registered in her mind, not even this C person! She frowned and wrinkled her brow. Galaxia had killed this guy when Usagi was young right? So that would mean that Galaxia was a trader to Oz? Why was Galaxia still working for OZ then? Why put on the facade of being loyal when she had obviously been a traitor all along? Why hadn't Oz figured her out yet?  
  


            "Miss Relena," spoke up Quatre, "If you'd like, you could stay the night." Relena shook here head.  
  


            "Arigatou for the invitation Quatre-san, but I have to return to the Sanq Kingdom. A new situation has arisen that requires my immediate attention."  
  


            "What happened?"   
  


            Relena's eyes flickered with indecision a moment, but then became steel as she made a choice, "A new threat impedes on planet earth. It seems as though the faction known as Oz has developed a new Mobile doll and plans to test it on a few islands located on Earth. The first attacks happened a week ago in Jamaica."   
  


            Duo frowned as he remembered the information on some disks Heero had obtained from the base he'd met Usagi on, "That's not like Oz to test on civilians. Are they the C dolls we heard about?"  
  


            "A new prototype called Capricaucios. Unlike all the other dolls, this one has a faster reaction time and better speed. Our defensive units led by Lieutenant Noin have all but been decimated against th-," Relena paused then as Usagi caught her attention. The moonbeam on her forehead was glowing. The boys all turned to look at the quiet girl also. Duo paled.  
  


            "Uh, Heero, now might be a good time to get her out of here," he whispered as the others got up from their seats and left the room, Relena trying to peer over Trowa's shoulder as he ushered her out the door. They knew how Usagi got when her visions came on.   
  


            "What's going on?" Relena's voice echoed as they went into the next room.   
  


            Heero rolled his eyes. They always left him to handle the girl. He frowned but turned to deal with her. Usagi was hunched forward in her chair now, her head hidden in her arms as she trembled. What ever she was seeing, she was trying to contain it. Heero hesitantly touched her arm, waiting for her to spring. Usagi didn't move.  
  


            A whimper escaped her. Heero stood up and gripped her by both arms, lifting her from the chair. Usagi stood up and buried her face in his shirt, her hands gripping the black cotton material.  
  


            "Yameru," she whispered so low Heero could barely hear her, "Onegai, yamu."   
  


            Heero looked down at her face. The moonbeam was pulsating gently, the golden glow almost soothing. Usagi was still trembling, as if a great chill had overtaken her slight form. He flinched as she suddenly jerked her body violently, a sob escaping her throat. Reflexively, he wrapped her in a tight embrace to keep her from falling as he felt her knees buckle. Usagi was still trembling.  
  


            "Don't hurt me. I promise I won't tell. I promise. I promise." she whispered again, tears falling down her cheeks. Heero's frown fell away as he realized just how much pain she was in.   
  


            "Usagi," he called, hoping to bring her out of the vision, "Daijobu Usagi. Don't worry, you're safe," Heero felt odd saying things like this for they'd never been said out of his mouth before, but he let the feeling pass as he noticed the effect on her. Slowly, her body began to relax, her tears stopping. It was working! Heero decided to take it a step further and caressed her head, the rhythmic motion calming her. Usagi stopped trembling altogether and sighed as her body completely relaxed. Her moonbeam went dull and disappeared from her forehead. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open as she turned her head to gaze into Heero's eyes.  
  


            "Arigatou," she whispered before promptly passing out. Heero stared at her a moment. The look in her eyes....  
  


            He pushed the thought from his mind. He needed to put her to bed so she could rest. He scooped up her legs and turned to leave the room. That's when he saw Relena. A chill passed through his body as her cornflower blue eyes bored into him, an almost glare on her face. Heero glared back.  
  


            "Quatre," he called. Relena frowned and turned away to walk back into the room with the others. Moments later Quatre came out, a worried expression on his face.  
  


            "Hai Heero? What is it?"  
  


            "I need a room for her."  
  


            Quatre glanced to the comatose girl in Heero's arms. He then nodded and proceeded down the hall and up the stairs. He brought Heero to a big room with a king sized white bed in the center of it. Without hesitation, Heero placed the comatose girl on the bed and left with Quatre. They would have to wait for her to awaken to find out what happened.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


            Five hours later, the boys found themselves still waiting. Usagi had remained in a fitful slumber, her body jerking in sleep as the dream she was having took over her body and sense of time. Relena finally decided to leave after informing the boys on the new Capricaucios dolls. All through out the explanation, she cast furtive, accusatory glances at Heero, as if he'd betrayed her somehow. Heero ignored the looks. He knew Relena had been watching when he had subdued Usagi. She'd seen the whole ordeal and was none too pleased. She managed to keep her emotions in check though as she gave them the story on the dolls. After a two-hour question and answer session, she left. By then it was six pm. Quatre had dinner made and they enjoyed a meal. Afterwards they'd talked strategy on what to do next and whether or not they should involve themselves in the new war. Duo was all for it, while Heero and Trowa were a bit apprehensive about it. Quatre took up Duo's argument while Wufei offered nothing. They argued for a good hour or so and by the time they decided to turn in, five hours had passed. It was nine pm.   
  


            Heero paused on his way to his room to check on Usagi. She was lying on the bed with her back to the door, her breathing slow and even. At least she had stopped twitching. Heero closed her door and went to his room. No sooner had he laid down than his mind began to fill with thoughts. He wouldn't get much sleep tonight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


            Galaxia rubbed her tired eyes as she set the stack of papers on her desk. Five hours of research and she hadn't even come close to finding the answer to her problem. How did Treize expect her to answer the problem of the faulty cerebral units in the training modules if she only had so much data? Just her luck to be the head of the discipline squad in Oz.   
  


            She sighed then, and swiveled in her oak chair to face to the huge office window. The sight of Earth greeted her, glorious in it's mellow blues and placid greens. They had six hours before re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, and three more hours before they landed in Russia. The journey from Omega base to Earth had taken a remarkable twelve hours. Needless to say, she was not too pleased. The shuttle was progressing much too fast for her to make plans. She had no way of knowing where Usagi and the pilots had gone or if they had even remained together. If the pilots and the girl had journeyed to Russia as her sources informed her, she had no method of insuring that they had taken her warning of leaving only for a week and returning to the desert.   
  


            Galaxia closed her ruby eyes a moment as she massaged her temples. So many problems and so little time to fix them. Why had she been the one chosen to be the princess's protector and guardian? Why hadn't she just stayed on Himtos and continued restructuring the planet?  
  


            "Cause you're a damn fool," she whispered to herself. Galaxia frowned and leaned back in her chair, her eyes still closed. Maybe if she went to sleep, the answer to her problems would show themselves. With a contented sigh, she stretched her feet out and relaxed her body.  
  


            *Knock Knock*  
  


            Maybe not.   
  


            "Hai," she called, turning in her chair to face the steel door. A moment later, a young brown haired cadet walked in, his green eyes looking around the room before focusing on her.  
  


            "Nishikawa-san," she acknowledged, "What do you want?"  
  


            "An encrypted message has been received from Earth. It is addressed to you Juniper-sama." Galaxia's interest suddenly perked.  
  


            "Honto ni? Has any of the crew tried to decipher it?"  
  


            "Hai. All efforts have proved unsuccessful," Nishikawa took a step back as Galaxia's expression suddenly turned feral. Galaxia noticed the young man's reaction after a while and she shook her head, regaining her senses.  
  


            "Send the message to me," she ordered.  
  


            "Hai, at once Juniper-sama," he answered and with a bow he left. Galaxia grinned once she was sure the coast was clear. Finally, she would get some answers.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


            Sleep hadn't been too generous to Usagi since her attack. For five hours her dreams had been nightmares full of ghosts from the past and events yet to come. Her mind made her relive the pain from her multiple deaths as Sailor Moon. Time and time again she had to watch her senshi killed by the forces of evil. Several times Usagi had snapped awake, a cold sweat covering her body as she trembled. She tried to remain alert after those abrupt wake ups, but her tired body would not let her and soon she drifted into another nightmare with the same pain and heartaches. Five hours later, after the last nightmare caused her to awaken screaming, she managed to stay awake and stare out the open window.   
  


            At one point during the night, she glanced at the clock; right after someone had opened her door and looked in, and noticed it was nine pm. After the person left, Usagi changed her from her pink overalls to a white night gown she discovered in a dresser drawer. The gown was thin strapped and stopped at her knees, the silky material hugging her frame and keeping the desert heat from becoming unbearable. Who ever had occupied the room before her had definitely been female. Once she changed, she crawled back into the bed. Since then, Usagi had laid there, her body motionless as her thoughts drifted. She tried to meditate for a while to return to sleep, but nothing worked. Then she began to wonder if perhaps the bed was causing her to lose her much needed rest.  
  


            She tossed and turned frantically, trying to get comfortable in the soft bed. But, no matter what position she took, or what part of the bed she lay on, she just couldn't fall asleep. She didn't know why, but something about the bed was just nagging at her. What was it? Was it too lumpy? She bounced on the bed and reasoned that it wasn't. It was neither too lumpy nor too soft. Was the bed too cold? It wasn't. They were residing in the desert for goodness sake!   
  


            With a great sigh Usagi sat up and looked around the spacious room. She knew what it was, the room was too lonely. This was the first time that Usagi had slept somewhere without Heero since they'd met. As much as she hated to admit it, Usagi had grown used to sharing a bed with him, no matter how big or small. She was used to holding something while she slept and waking up to see him watching her from across the room, usually at his laptop. Always there'd be a space in the bed indicating he'd slept there the previous night. She just missed him period and figured she wouldn't get any sleep until she resolved that issue.   
  


            With her mind made up, Usagi climbed off the huge bed and crept up to her door, pausing once to put on some pink slippers with bunny head on the tips. She opened the door slowly and peered out, wary of the night crew. It was midnight in the Winner mansion. When she was sure the hall was empty, she left her room and proceeded down the hall, creeping stealthily like a cat. Once a floorboard creaked and Usagi held her breath. Nothing happened. Loosing her pent up air, Usagi once again moved on, getting closer to Heero's door. She passed Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Duo's doors along the way, being sure to creep extra quietly by Wufei's door. No matter what anyone said, that Chinese boy had ears like a bat.   
  


            Usagi finally arrived at her destination. The wooden door was slightly cracked and moonlight spilled through it into the carpeted hallway. She pushed on it hesitantly, holding her breath, as it swung open. The hinges never squeaked. After making sure no one was awake, Usagi slipped into the dark room, her sharp eyes making out the bed and the form sleeping on it. She deposited her slippers by the door and then paused to listen to Heero's deep rhythmic breathing, hoping he was out cold. For ten minutes she just stood there, listening to him breath and making sure he was definitely unaware of the rest of the world. Finally, gathering the last of her courage, Usagi stepped into the room. She stopped five feet away from the bed and listened again.   
  


            Still sleep. She made one last final check, approached the bed and lifted up the cover.  
  


            "Don't even think about," Usagi yelped and jumped back.  
  


            "You're awake!" she squeaked. Heero rolled over in the bed to face her. He glared and she shrank a little under his stern gaze. So maybe he wasn't out cold.  
  


            "What do you want." His tone was icy; he wasn't in the mood to play. He knew what she wanted, but wasn't about to make it easy for her. The perfect soldier did not share his bed. Usagi pouted and gave him her most pathetic look, blue eyes wide and pleading.  
  


            "Can I sleep with you please? I don't like my room and my bed is too big."  
  


            "No."  
  


            "Please?"  
  


            "No."  
  


            "PLEASE?!?!?!"  
  


            "No."  
  


            "PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP?!?!?!?"  
  


            "NO," Usagi pouted even more and sniffled, tears beginning to form in her eyes.   
  


            "Onegai Heero? Just this once? I promise I won't be any trouble!" By now Heero's patience was shot. With an angry sigh he relented.  
  


            "Fine," he growled, and flipped over, his back to her, "But stay on that side of the bed as far away as possible." Usagi squealed in joy and hopped into the bed, disturbing Heero and almost making him kick her out. She squiggled around a bit to get comfortable and finally he heard her contented sigh as she fell into a deep sleep. Muttering obscenities and cursing the day he ever met her, Heero finally drifted into a peaceful slumber. He never felt the smile on his lips as he slept, for as much as he hated to admit it, he missed sharing a bed with her too. In fact, he hadn't been able to sleep at all until now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


            YAY! Another chapter! I know you all were wondering when I would finally get my lazy butt in gear and write some more. Actually, I've made a decision after debating for a long time. I've decided to only concentrate on this fic and worry about the others when I finish. This story only has a few more chapters before the end, so hopefully I can get this written and then concentrate on my other works. After this, I plan to write another SM and GW crossover, but it'll be angst, and not a lot of action. Well, this author's note is getting kind of long so I guess I'll end it here. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and don't forget to review.  
  
   
  
Ja ne!   
  
Shorty ***^_~***

Email me! Quimon7@hotmail.com


	8. Ooh Look! Doctors!

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VIII 

Midnight of Shadows

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi all!  I've actually been sitting on this chapter for quite a while. I didn't realize it was 12 pages long!  I hope you enjoy, the story is finally moving along.

Minna!  Heero says his first grunt in this chapter!  I never thought I'd write it but it fit so well for that scene! ^_^  Well I see I'm boring you so on with the fic.  I hope you like it.  I stayed up till 3 am after work to finish it.  Enjoy! Don't forget to review! 

Translations:

Kicho na musume – precious daughter

Kanojo muzai no – she's innocent

Gambate – hang in there! don't give up!

Oujo – princess

Hajimemashite – pleased to meet you

Tasukete – help me

Wakatta – do you understand?

Wakatta yo – I understand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer:  A pink rabbit in an orange striped business suit sits behind a desk stacked with papers.  His attention is riveted to a folder labeled "Shorty"

Rabbit:  Hmm..... so this person claims not to own GW or SM or DBZ/GT for that matter.  Sentenced to a prison cell and finally taken here to the Anime Nut House after apparently being diagnosed as "insane". *sigh*  Why me? 

pushes buzzer

Rabbit: Chichi, send in Shorty.

Chichi: Yes sir.

Shorty enters.  Her eyes go back and forth before she nervously sits in a chair.  Her head wanders all over the room as she checks the place out

Rabbit: *clears throat* ahem...miss Shorty I presume? *pushes glasses up on his nose*  Now dear, do you feel you're cured?

Shorty stares at the Rabbit a while before a huge grin appears on her face.

Shorty: Say it

Rabbit: *frowns* say what?

Shorty: *grinz* I'm Late I'm Late! For a very important date!

Rabbit: *horrified* OoO  I'm not that stupid rabbit!

Shorty: Yes you are!  I know that stupid rabbit anywhere!  Now SAY IT! SAY IT! SAY IT! SAY IT! SAY IT!

Rabbit: GUARDS!

Yamcha and Michiru burst into the room and drag Shorty away.  Door closes

Rabbit: *-_-;* Guess that's a no.  

::stamps big red UNCURED on Shorty's papers::

Rabbit: Now to go out for tea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VIII 

Midnight of Shadows

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            _"Push!  Come one just one more!  I can see the head!" the doctor shouted._

_            "GYAHH!"  The mother cried out as one more contraction hit her hard._

_            *Slap*_

_            "WaaaaAAHHHH!"_

_            "Congratulations Hatsumomo-san.  You are the proud new mother of a baby girl!"  The doctor bundled the baby up and handed her to her mother._

_            Wide sapphire blue eyes greeted the world.  Little pink hands reached for a face that remained blurry, but whose voice was melodic and low as it cooed to her.  The baby girl sneezed then and felt her body shake as her mother laughed.  The face moved then, a little closer, and the baby was able to grasp a lock of blond hair that landed near her.  _

_            "Konnichiwa kicho na musume," the mother whispered, her hands smoothing the little blond curls on the baby's head.  Her hand brushed the baby's forehead and that's when she noticed it, the little crescent moon....glowing._

_            The doctor cleared his throat, interrupting the tender scene.  "Excuse me miss, if you'd like, we can have the birthmark remo-"_

_            "NO!" the mother exclaimed.  _

_            The doctor nodded, "Very well then, would you care to tell me the name for the birth certificate?"  _

_            The mother gazed into the fresh face of her daughter.  So young, so pure, so innocent.  The baby giggled and reached her arms out for her mother.  Her nose wrinkled then as she sneezed again, scrunching her face up like a little bunny._

_            "Hai, her name is Usagi," she answered.  The doctor scribbled it onto a notepad._

_             "Last name?" The mother opened her mouth to answer when the door burst open.  Fifteen soldiers entered followed by a figure wearing a dark cloak._

_            "What the hel-"_

_            *Bang*  _

_            A bullet was through the doctor's head before he could finish._

_            "Hatsumomo Jiyana," called the figure in the cloak, "You have been charged with crimes against the colonies and Earth.  As a War Angel, you have no rights and therefore, are not entitled to a fair trial.  You have been sentenced to execution on sight."_

_            "IIE!" screamed Jiyana, "I am not what my mother was!  What do you want from me?!"  The figure signaled with his/her hand and before she knew it, two soldiers grabbed the young child from Jiyana's grasp.  The baby suddenly wailed, the crescent moon lighting up on her forehead.  The frightened soldiers handed the baby to the figure who held her protectively against his/her chest._

_            "Iie!" cried Jiyana, "onegai....iie!  Kanojo muzai no!"  Silence ensued, the room echoing with the baby's cries.  The figure nodded.  A hand reached inside the cloak and pulled a gun out.  Jiyana eyed the weapon, realization dawning upon her._

_            "Onegai," she pleaded one last time, "I don't care what you do to me, just please, spare my daughter."  Tears were trickling down her face then as the figure approached, placing the gun between her eyes and cocking it.  Jiyana glanced up to the face hidden in the depths of the cloak, fearless in the face of death._

_            "Forgive me Usagi," she whispered, "I could not protect you."  Her eyes closed slowly, two last crystal tears spilling forth.  She sighed sorrowfully as the figure pulled the trigger._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Usagi awoke with a start, her heart racing as her labored breathing tried to even out.  Her sapphire eyes stared at the oak door of Heero's bedroom before she forcefully snapped them shut, her brows drawing down in disgust as she suppressed a sob.  Kami how she hated that dream! What sick deity thought it fit to make her relive the death of her mother over and over again?  Did the gods not think they tortured her enough with visions during the day?   She couldn't stop the tears that escaped her closed lids.  They made their path down her cheeks as she swallowed dryly.  Why did it hurt so much?  Why couldn't she get over the death of a woman she didn't even know?   What was it about Hatsumomo Jiyana that troubled her so?  So many questions about a past long taken from her.  In the midst of all these jumbled thoughts, she remembered a saying once told to her by Juniper.  

            'The past is not important.  To dwell on it is to forget your future.  While the past has come and gone and can never be changed, the future has yet to arrive and can only become as you make it.'  

            Of all the things ever taught to her throughout her fifteen years, she remembered those words the best.  Juniper had been her hero once, her idol.  Usagi couldn't recall why or how she started to hate the woman, it was just something that happened gradually over time.  She sighed.  Tears were useless now.  There was no sense in grieving over fortunes long gone.  Her hands moved up to wipe the last of the water from her cheeks.  That done, she moved to stretch out her back and found herself braced against a hard chest.  Usagi halted mid-stretch and glanced down to her waist, just then noticing the pair of arms wrapped around her.  When had that happened?  She didn't remember Heero moving during the night.  And hadn't he told her to stay on this side of the bed?

            Usagi silently smirked as she rolled to face him, no small task as his tight grip never lessened.  Finally she managed to fully flip over and face his bare chest.   Her gaze traveled up the smooth frame to the chiseled face, settled in slumber.  He looked so peaceful when he slept, the troubles of the world forgotten.  She gently reached her hand up and traced the line of his jaw, the curve flawless.  Her eyes took in the way his hair swayed gently as his shallow breathing caused his chest to rise ever so slightly.  He shifted then and Usagi felt cold, hard, metal pressing against her back.  A knowing smile graced her lips.

            "Never sleep without your gun huh?" she whispered.  His brow twitched as his lips descended into a frown, almost as if he'd heard her.  Usagi giggled.  She smoothed her hand against his cheek, his frown disappearing moments later.

            "Arigatou Heero, for protecting me," Usagi closed her eyes and placed a chaste kiss on his chest, right over his heart.  She snuggled closer to him, her head finding a cozy spot, nestled on his shoulder.  Soon the rhythmic beating of his heart lured her to sleep, this time, a rest with no dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Galaxia gazed up at the grand opera house in awe.  So this is where they stopped for one night, she mused to herself.  The opera house was impressive indeed.  A wonderful dome shaped structure that held swatches of art and decor inside.  She had little time to ponder however on the magnificent structure as a corporal approached her, his face grim and determined.  The young soldier paused in front of her and saluted.  Galaxia nodded towards the young man.

            "At ease corporal.  What have you got to report," The soldier's reply was instant, not one bit of hesitation evident in his tone.

            "Ma'am, two of the serving men here report seeing a strange occurrence just the other day.  Apparently a young man and a young woman caused somewhat of a minimal disturbance by running through the halls of the opera house and exiting through the back door of the bar.  One serving boy reports that they never came back."

            Galaxia sighed.  Great, just what she needed.  Her ruby eyes swirled as she surmised the situation.  If Usagi and whoever the young man was that was chasing her never came back, there had to be a plausible reason.  What would make Usagi run out in the middle of a performance?  

            The corporal fidgeted as Galaxia became lost in thought.

            "Ma'am," he said at last, cringing as Galaxia scowled down at him.  Noticing she was making the young man uncomfortable, Galaxia dropped her scowl.  It was the least he deserved for breaking her concentration.  Still, she didn't blame him for being uncomfortable.  At six foot two, she was an impressive woman.

            "Hai corporal," she answered at last, "What else have you got?"

            The corporal dug around in his pocket until his hand closed on an object.  Then he pulled it out slowly, opening his hand to display the object in his palm.  It was a pearl bracelet.

            Galaxia glanced from to bracelet to the soldier, a look of 'And this is?' plainly written on her face.  The soldier coughed as his face reddened in sudden embarrassment.

            "Ma'am, this was discovered outside the door where the two young people disappeared."

            Galaxia stared into the soldiers face to ascertain the certainty of his words before she nodded and deftly plucked the bracelet from his palm.  The corporal hastily placed his now empty hand by his side and saluted with the other.

            "You are excused corporal," she began, the soldier turning to leave upon her word, "But before you leave," 

            He paused.

            "Show me where you found this bracelet," she didn't miss the way his body trembled from released tension or the slightly relieved look upon his face.  It seemed as if he suspected her of knowing some great secret of his, something he desperately wished her not to know.  Galaxia made a mental note to investigate the situation later as the corporal led her towards the door, the path already cleared of employees and customers alike.  They arrived moments later, the door in question cracked and allowing a cool breeze to drift throughout the room.

            "Dismissed," Galaxia said absently, her attention already focused on the outside.  She stepped through the door and quietly closed it behind her.  She needed privacy for this.  Galaxia closed her eyes and concentrated on the bracelet in her hand, reading the information as the bracelet glowed a dull white.  Her surroundings became lost as she focused on the object.

_::Snow swirled around her in white brilliance, covering the ground in a thick blanket.  Usagi trudged through it regardless, the biting wind sending chills down her spine.  She'd forgotten her coat in her haste to catch Mercury, so now she traveled only in her dress and heels.  Her stockings became soaked, the feeling in her toes long gone, but she didn't stop or go back.::_

            Galaxia's brows furrowed, digging for more information.  There had to be more, there just had to be.  The bracelet pulsed in sync with her heartbeat, the magical info it contained being withdrawn against its will.  It pulsed extra brightly as Galaxia's probing finally found the info she was looking for.

_:: Heero bent down and examined a glistening object in the snow, recognizing it instantly.  It was Usagi's pearl bracelet.  Then he saw it, the footprints leading north.  Already they were filling up with snow, but he could still make them out, headed straight for the lake.::_

            Galaxia's eyes snapped open.  The lake!  She needed to get there.  She looked up and in the distance, the waving of orange flags caught her eye.  Quickly she gathered her bearings and headed for the lake, a full fifty feet ahead of her.  She was out of breath when she finally got there, taking a moment to catch her lost oxygen supply.  How had Usagi managed to run the whole way?  She nodded her head and focused on the more immediate matter.  

            Galaxia's eyes assessed the perimeter of the lake, her sharp senses not missing the jagged pieces of ice frozen back together.  Warning signs had been posted along the shore, warning visitors of the accident that had occurred there.  Galaxia placed her palm onto the lakes surface and tested it for firmness.  The ice held.  She pressed harder and had the satisfaction of seeing it crack.  She was definitely not going out there.

            Galaxia stared at the ice a moment longer before she made her decision.  She didn't need to be out there to find out what happened; she could read the ice from right there.  Positioning her open palm onto the ice surface, she closed her eyes once more and concentrated, a golden glow spreading from her hand onto the frozen water.  Galaxia exerted a bit more energy and soon the entire surface of the lake radiated a golden glow.  It wasn't long before the information came to her.

_::Usagi came closer, never noticing the change in the stabilization of the ground.  She paused once as she heard it creak, her heel stepping in a hole.  Usagi yanked it out and continued walking, never noticing the water welling up from the hole where her heel had been.  Mercury was a little ways away now, no more than five feet.  Mercury's eyes shone with light as Usagi stretched her arm out and reached for her._

_"Serenity," she whispered and vanished.  Usagi stopped and stared in shock.  Where did she go?_

_"Mercury," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes, "Mercury!  Iie!!  Come back to me!"  With a wail of despair Usagi collapsed onto the ground.  She never felt the shifting of the ground as she sobbed.  Ice began to crack beneath her weight, but she didn't notice.  Her surroundings were lost to her, her grief overwhelming above all.  Why did Mercury leave her?_

_"Why?  WHY!"  with an anguished sob she pounded her fists on the ground in frustration.  Big mistake._

_*CRASH*_

_"EIIIIEEI-" Usagi's scream was cut off as the icy, black water surged into her mouth.::_

            Galaxia's eyes snapped open as she cried out.  Usagi!  Oh god she hoped the girl hadn't drowned.  How could she be so stupid!  Why did she follow her vision like that?

            Her breathing equaled out as she regained her calm. 'Ok Galaxia, lets continue with this, maybe there's more to this lakes story.'  Having given herself a pep talk, Galaxia placed her hand on the ice once again and almost jumped back as the next images assaulted her.

_::"Usagi!"  Heero sprinted across the distance and ran full speed.  She was drowning!  Her arms flailed about wildly trying to get a grip.  Quickly he dived across the ice and grabbed her arm as she began to sink.  Gritting his teeth, he sprang up and yanked her out the water.  Heero pulled her close and stepped back from the edge.  Once he was sure the ice was stable he held her out at arms length and checked over her.  Usagi panted heavily, coughing up lungfuls of water as she breathed.  Heero let her cough up all the water, arms holding her steady; she was too weak to stand on her own._

_Suddenly the ice began to creak under his feet and Heero jumped back as it broke.  The lake, it was breaking up!  Heero pulled Usagi close again and began to run, narrowly missing the open water.  Several times he slipped and almost fell in the water, but desperation fueled him and he got up, running again. _

_Usagi tried hard to keep up as she was pulled along by Heero, held close to his side.  Her feet barely touched the ground as he sprinted.  When he fell his grip loosened a little and Usagi was forced to run on her own.  Her legs were so sore, she was so tired, so cold.  Usagi's eyes closed once in tiredness and she tripped.  Heero cursed as he was dragged down with her.  Usagi cried in pain as roughly he got up and jerked her to her feet.  The bank was a mere feet away.  Heero panicked as he noticed the ice by the bank beginning to break up.  They were trapped!  He looked behind him.  The water was catching up fast, ice breaking and falling into the black water.  He finally made up his mind and picked Usagi up, arms under her legs and back.  With a crouch, Heero jumped with all his might just as the ice gave beneath them.  They landed on the bank with a thud and rolled a few feet. ::_

            Galaxia breathed a sigh of relief, the glow diminishing as she came back to reality.  They had made it.  Her eyes watered in sudden elation as she smiled.  She was alive!  Usagi was alive!  A sob escaped Galaxia's throat as she hugged her knees.  The crazy girl almost got herself killed chasing visions, but she was alive!  The power of love had saved her.  Galaxia wiped her eyes and sniffled as she checked her emotions.  Everything was going to be all right, the princess was still alive!

            "You'll never win Chaos!" she shouted, her ruby gaze raised to the sky, "She grows stronger everyday, and one day, she will be strong enough to defeat you and release us all from this hell we call life!  Gambate Oujo-sama!"  She threw back her head then in a mad cackle, laughter filled with the promise of hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Hmph...I send you on a mission to retrieve a disk, and a week later you end up with no disk, a severely damaged gundam, and, not to mention, a girl in bed!  And not just any girl, but the one who is the center of this whole fiasco at that!"

            Heero snapped awake instantly.  Who the hell?!  His eyes narrowed at the man in the doorway, his glare turned on full force.  Under the screen of the covers, his hand gripped the gun tightly.

            "Hn," he grunted, acknowledging the man's presence.

            Dr. J's hands shot in the air in mock surrender as he sauntered a few feet into the room and stopped.  He dropped his hands as he noticed Heero's glare and crossed his arms over his chest instead.  What right had his pupil to glare at him like that?  A frown creased his features as he gazed at the girl that had her arms wrapped around Heero's waist.  Her head rested partially on the boy's chest, golden hair spreading over the bed in a heavenly sheet, a few strands falling in her face.  The white sheet pulled over the two stopped just below her shoulders, hiding Heero's arms which were wrapped around her.  Dr. J's frown deepened at that.

            Heero raised his upper body up on one elbow; his other arm, the one that held the gun, was draped casually over Usagi's waist.  His gun hand tensed, ready to fire lest the Dr try anything.  At the moment, the gun rested lightly on the bed, hidden beneath the sheet.

            "Tell me Heero, is this really Tenshi?  The one who shot you?  How in the world did she end up in your bed?"  Dr. J's tone was dark, almost malicious as he chastised his pupil.  He wasn't that angry about Tenshi being in Heero's room. No, he was pissed because Heero had failed to contact him after his last mission.  He had no idea what had become of the perfect soldier after the base exploded, hell, he thought all the boys were dead!  He didn't even know if the boy retrieved the disk.

            "Well is it?" he pressed, tired of Heero's silent war game.

            Heero ignored the Dr and instead glanced down to Usagi as he felt her stir.  Her sparkling sapphire eyes were wide open and blinking.  She wrinkled her brow as her lips formed the silent question 'who?'  Heero's gun arm tightened on her waist, a silent command to stay put.  Her nod was barely perceptible as she snuggled closer to him, eliciting a grimace from him in response.  She didn't have to go that far to prove she was asleep.

            Usagi smiled against his chest, suppressing the urge to giggle as she pictured his reaction.  Boy was she going to get it later. 

            Heero finally looked back up to the neglected doctor and nodded.  Dr. J sighed.

            "I thought so.  This only complicates matters even more.  It's 0800 now.  Be downstairs in the Gundam hanger at 1000 hours.  I expect a full report of the weeks happenings and an update on what occurred on the base."

            "Hn," Heero more or less replied.  The doctor shook his head as he left the room, leaving the door wide open for all to see what was in the perfect soldiers room.  Once he was sure DR. J was gone, Heero turned his glare on the bunny beneath him.

            "It's 8 o'clock already!" she suddenly exclaimed, jumping up and landing on her feet on the bed, "Well look at that.  Gotta go Heero!  Going to be a busy day down at the mansion or so I hear. JA ne!"  Usagi was halfway across the bed when Heero lunged and grabbed her ankle.  She fell face first into the soft mattress, her cry of surprise muffled.

            "Usa-"he began but never finished as she issued a war cry and launched herself at him.  Heero was caught off guard as she tackled him and they rolled off the bed in a tangle of limbs.    They finally bumped into a dresser and Usagi rolled away.  Heero scrambled to get up, but Usagi was already up and out the door.  An echoing giggle was all that was heard as she raced down the hall.

            Heero leaned up against the dresser and ran a hand through his hair. 'It's only 8 o'clock and the day's already terrible,' he thought, his head lowering.  Today would be one of those days.  Heero shook his head and finally got up.  No sense in wasting the day away, he'd get the little bunny back later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Moments later, Heero emerged into the dining room, refreshed and ready to greet the world.  Seeing as how it would be nothing more than a day of repairs, he'd only thrown on a black sleeveless tank and loose gray sweats with his trademark sneakers.  He glanced around the table to see all the boys seated at the table enjoying breakfast, and a very enthusiastic Usagi devouring her meal.  A few sweat drops appeared on Quatre's head as he watched her.

            "Usagi-chan, maybe you should slow down ne?"

            "I mmenph I neemh aph mph mpherme I mmen mmmenph," she replied before stuffing another pancake into her mouth.  Quatre sighed.

            "Did any one catch what she just said?"

            "She said, and I quote 'I can't, I need all the energy I can get,'" everyone sweat dropped as they stared at Trowa. O_O; 

            "And I thought I was weird," mumbled Duo.  Quatre glanced up as he noticed Heero.

            "Good morning Heero, sleep well?"  Heero gave him a glare before reaching for a plate and filling it with pancakes and scrambled eggs.  Quatre just shrugged and returned to his meal.  Wufei gave Usagi and Dou a look of disgust as they reached for their third helping.  He finally picked up the napkin from his lap and set it on his plate, signaling the end of his meal.  Trowa soon followed suit, Quatre and Heero not far behind.  Moments later, Usagi and Duo finally finished.

            *Burp*

            "Ahh!" exclaimed Duo rubbing his belly, "Breakfast at Quatre's is always good!"  Usagi giggled and slapped him a high five.  Wufei scowled at the two.

            "You're excused baka," he said while glowering at the braided pilot.  Duo cheesed and flashed him a peace sign.

            "Thanks Wu-man, I appreciate your concern," he quipped, his grin widening as Wufei's face turned red.  The pilots braced themselves for the ensuing argument but were surprised when Wufei took two deep breaths and calmed down.

            "Now that breakfast is taken care of," began Wufei with a furtive glance at Duo, "A few matters need to be settled.  I don't know if any of you noticed, but Doctor J and Master O are here."

            "Yah," spoke Quatre, "I was awakened this morning by Instructor H.  He had Doctor S with him.  They told me to meet them in the Gundam Hanger along with Trowa and the rest of the pilots at ten. "

            "You know," added Duo, "This all sounds a bit conspiratory if you ask me.  Professor G and my man Howard are here too.  Why would all the builders meet here?"

            The boys stared at one another in thought, Usagi's confused expression ignored at the moment.  

            "Doctors?  Why are Doctors here?" she voiced at last, her curiosity getting the best of her.

            Trowa fixed her with his solid stare, the others either glancing from each other to her worriedly, or glaring at her for even asking such a thing.  Usagi gulped.

            "Usagi," Trowa said at last, "These Doctors are our trainers, much like Galaxia is to you."  Usagi grinned in appreciation as the looks were cast his way.

            "Arigatou," she said, "That's all I really needed to know.  Um, since you guys have so much to discuss I'm just going to go upstairs and get dressed.  Ja,"  She quickly blew a kiss at all them and dashed away.  

            The boys exchanged glances as they watched her go.  Then, as one, they left the table and headed towards the Gundam Hangar.  After passing through a series of hallways and going down two flights of stairs, they arrived at the door to the hangar and went inside.  Five old men and a slightly younger man turned from a table where they had been huddled together as they heard the young men approach.  Doctor J was the first to speak.

            "Ahh, right on time," he said with a perfunctory glimpse at his watch, "Come in, we have much to discuss,"  

            "What is your purpose for being here?" Wufei asked, his onyx eyes narrowing as they focused on the doctors.  

            "We sent you children on a mission, you sustained serious damage to the gundams and we are merely here to repair them," Professor G answered, his eyes shifting form one pilot to the next.

            "You've never come before," Trowa observed, his single eye fixing them with a solid stare.  Two of the builders shuffled nervously as another clasped his hands in front of him.

            "Come now, what matters is that we are here," Doctor J said, his unctuous manner unsettling, "As I said before, we have much to discuss.  Now, enough with the questioning, we have some questions of our own.  First and foremost, Heero, where is Tenshi?"

            Heero glared fiercely at his trainer, the man who had raised him to be the perfect soldier and a killer.  He knew when the man was up to something and now was one of those times.  The man's goggles practically glowed with evil intentions.  His clawed hand was place seruptously behind his back, his stance one of casual attendance.

            "Upstairs," he answered the man at last.  Dr. J nodded and rubbed his long white mustache with his one hand.

            "Hmm, good enough for now I guess.  On to business then, How was your mission Heero?  Did you boys retrieve the disk?"

            "Hai," the boy answered smoothly.

            "Where is it?"  J pressed.

            "Destroyed," Heero stated, his monotone voice steady and firm.  

            Dr. J frowned, " Were you able to find out any information on it?  Was there any valuable information on it?"

            "Iie."  Silence reigned in the room as mentor and student assessed one another.  Dr. J could feel the change in Heero.  Never before had his pupil been so detached and withdrawn.  Sure Heero was an antisocial boy, but ever since the boy had acquired Tenshi, his manner had changed somewhat.  He was almost, rebellious.  Dr J frowned involuntarily.  This was not good.  If Heero were planning on rebelling against his authority, his plans would be complicated.  He shook his head.

            "Oh well, too bad you couldn't obtain information.  I can see there is no use in wondering about the matter further so let us move on."  He stepped aside then and motioned with his hands for the other men to do the same.  Once the way was clear, the table was revealed to show blueprints rolled across the table.  He nodded to the boys and they proceeded to approach the table, Duo and Quatre's eyes widening as they saw the blueprints.

            "Oh cool!" exclaimed Duo as he snatched up one of the prints, "New plans for the gundams!  Does this mean I can add that CD player to Deathscythe?"

            Howard sweat dropped and placed a hand behind his head as the others stared blankly.  Duo blinked, "Nani?  I like to listen to music as I mutilate things," He grinned cheekily and winked at them.

            "Uh, actually, these plans are improvements to your gundams.  Along with repairs we are going to install new shields in all of your Gundams," Instructor H answered.

            "Why do we need new shields?" Quatre asked, "I thought the Gundanium could withstand intense attacks."

            "Tis true," Master O offered, "But with the new Capricornious dolls, we have discovered that the weapons of the dolls have been severely altered.  The weapons have been reinforced with some sort of new energy we have yet to identify.  To protect the gundams, the shields must be improved by 50% or your next battle may fare worst than your last."

            "These are some serious improvements sir," Quatre remarked, "It looks as if you've been planning the reinforcement plans for months.  And these schematics! How on Earth are we supposed to operate the equipment with the limited supplies we have?  I mean, the new weaponry calls for wires and metals I don't even have stored in my hanger!"

            "Don't worry so much my boy," Instructor H said as he led Quatre towards Sandrock, "We've come prepared with all the supplies you boys should need.  Now, how about we start on these new improvements on Sandrock?  The sooner we accomplish this feat, the sooner the Gundams will be operational again."

            The boys cast one last glance to one another before parting their separate ways.  Master O and Wufei immediately set to work on Shenlong, while Doctor S and Trowa studied the plans to Heavyarms.  Quatre and Instructor H were deep into discussion on the alterations while Duo, Howard, and Professor G pointed out items of interest on the blueprints and set out to work on them.  Heero started to walk towards his Gundam, but when he noticed Doctor J not following, he paused and looked back, his face an expressionless mask. Dr. J was standing at the table the blueprints had previously occupied, his gaze focused on a sole set of prints that belonged to none of the gundams.  Heero hesitated a moment before he slowly began to approach the old man.  He was only a few feet away when Dr, J said, "Go on without me.  I trust your training was extensive enough to cover remodeling your Gundam."  Heero studied the man a second longer before turning to work on Wing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            It took Usagi longer than intended to shower and dress.  The only dilemma had been her hair.  She had started to braid it into her customary braid, but had stopped when she noticed her reflection in the mirror.  For some reason, the hairstyle just didn't seem appropriate on such a day.  Instead she had stressed her mind until a mental image came to her of a girl dressed in a sailor outfit with odango shaped buns atop her head.  Then, it had only taken her five minutes to pin her hair up and curl the streamers of golden hair left out.  It was amazing how natural the style felt and how much ease it allowed her to move with.

            With her hair out of the way, Usagi quickly shrugged into a white tank top and red sweat pants with gray thread running down the sides to her white sneakers.  Having accomplished her mission, Usagi dashed out the door to catch up to the others.  It took her awhile to locate a maid and ask for directions to the hanger, but none of the maids knew what she was talking about.  Usagi almost gave up until she ran into a tall brawny man.  

            "Gomen sir," she said politely while bowing, "I didn't see you."

            The man squinted down at her, his dark gaze making her blush, "And you are miss?  Where is a young lady like you off to in such a rush?"

            Usagi blinked and sweat dropped.  With a nervous giggle she held out her hand in greeting. "Atashi wa, Usagi desu.  Hajimemashite.  I didn't mean to run into you, really I didn't.  I was just looking for Quatre and Heero. I think I'm lost-" The man smiled suddenly and chuckled.

            "You must be the young lady Master Quatre was talking about.  I'm Rashid.  The boys are in the hanger.  Just go down the next two hallways and turn left at the end of the last one.  There should be a door there, the only door there."

            "Arigatou!" Usagi exclaimed and hugged the man.  Without even looking up to see his surprised face, she dashed away in the right direction.

            Rashid stared after the girl in a daze.  "Way too much sugar," he mumbled before walking on.

            After five more minutes of walking and endless hallways, she finally reached her destination.

Usagi approached the door cautiously and listened outside.  The sounds of whirring drills and pounding hammers resonated from the doorway and proceeded into the hall.  She could smell the faint scent of oil and sweat.  This was definitely the right room.  Without knowing why, she took a deep breath and went in.  

            Usagi blinked a few times as the bright overhead lights assaulted her eyes, but they soon grew accustomed to it.  All noise ceased as everyone's attention was riveted to the intruder.  Usagi blushed and sweat dropped.  She grinned brightly suddenly and rubbed the back of her head as she cheerily shouted, "OHAYO MINNA!"

            "OHAYO USAGI-CHAN!" Duo shouted back from the top of his gundam.  As if his greeting were a signal, the others in the room immediately resumed their work and the sounds of drills and hammers could once again be heard.  Usagi breathed a sigh of relief and walked further into the room, the door slamming behind her.  She had only gone a few feet when a large object obstructed her path.  Usagi stopped and looked up, way up.  A man with long white hair and goggles stared down at the small teen, his arms crossed menacingly in front of him.  Her eyes bugged when they fell on the clawed hand.

            Swallowing nervously, Usagi held out her hand, "Konnichiwa, Atashi wa Usagi desu.  Hajimemashite."

            Without warning the clawed hand flew out and grabbed her around the neck.  Usagi cried out in pain as the man slammed her against the wall.  His lips drew down in a grimace as his face zoomed in to observe her better.

            "Are you Tenshi?" He asked angrily, the claws tightening slightly.  Usagi paled.

            "Answer me!" he yelled, shaking her to influence an answer.  Usagi struggled against him, her hands coming up to her neck as she tried to pry the claws from around her neck.

            "Let me go!" she cried.

            "Answer me girl!" The man persisted; he shook her again and elicited another cry of pain.

            "Itai!  HEERO TASUKETE!" Usagi wailed.  Tears came to her eyes as she kicked out in futile.  The man grew even angrier, his other hand rising up. 

            "Listen girl, you better answer me or-"

            *click*

            "Put her down."

            The man stopped.  His lips formed a small "o" of surprise as his clawed hand opened and dropped her.  Usagi landed with a thud on her butt on the floor.  She quickly scrambled away and hid behind Heero.  The boy held the gun against the man's back, his finger only a hair's breath away from pulling the trigger.  Usagi rubbed her throat with one, the other clutching the back of Heero's shirt in a death grip as she quivered against him.  Heero turned on his death glare as the man turned to face them fully, his eyes noting the gun, and took two steps back

            Heero glared at Doctor J with as much anger and contempt as he could gather.  When the man visibly paled, Heero diverted his attention to the girl behind him.

            "Usagi," he said softly, "Go to Duo,"

            Usagi began to shake her head no but stopped when she noticed Heero's look.  She backed away regretfully, her gaze drifting between the two males before she took off for Duo's gundam.  Heero made sure she was a relatively safe distance away before he finally dropped his gun and fully faced his instructor.  

            Doctor J was furious.  Without saying a word, he drew his arm back and brought it forward with as much force as he could muster.

            *SLAP*

            Heero fell to the ground from the force of the blow.  He stayed there, his breathing uneven as he stared at the floor.  A trickle of blood rolled across his lip and he licked it away.  Doctor J reached down and grabbed the boy by his neck, hefting him into the air so that they were eye to eye.  With incredible strength, he brought Heero close enough to be nose to nose.

            "Don't presume to give me orders Yui," he whispered, his voice laced with venom and spite, "I am the instructor and YOU are the pupil.  I will do as I please.  And if you ever think to hold me at gunpoint again, I will personally make you regret it.  Wakatta?"

            Heero's eyes betrayed nothing of what he felt, none of the hatred and anger he'd displayed earlier.  It was as if the blow had knocked every emotion he'd gathered in the last two weeks away in a single instant.  This was the perfect soldier J had raised.  This was the Heero Yui who obeyed without question, without hesitation.

            "Wakkata yo," he replied, his voice barely audible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Whoa!  What a chapter huh?  I don't know why I never published this sooner.  I guess I let the real world get to me.  But I'm back now and feeling better than ever.  Maybe I'll finish this story this time around ne?  Sorry to all my fans out there.  I truly regret leaving you hanging after the last chapter.  Hopefully I can regain interest and you all can forgive me.  I guess I just needed a little inspiration to keep on writing.   Well I'm rambling so I'll stop now.  Till next chapter…


	9. Somebody's in Trouble

Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ IX 

Midnight of Shadows

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Sorry that this is so late!  I've been neglecting my fanfiction world, but I realize it's not right to leave things unfinished, so I'm going to try and finish this, but no promises.  I've been sitting on this for a month.  Sorry it's short.  (Ne, I sound like Shinji -_-;)

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews.  When I read them they motivated me to get writing, literally.  I went through all of the chapters and did a little editing.  I officially made everyone 16 years old (G-boys, Relena, and Usagi).  I also changed the form of my disclaimers.

Iron Duke: Thanks for the info.  I wasn't sure if Doktor S was a typo or the actual spelling so I just went for the typo.  I'll be sure to correct that though.  So there are no birthdays huh?  hmmm.....that means I can play around with them all I want....hehehe. :)

To everyone else:  Your reviews keep me going.  I appreciate every single one I get and cherish the praise and criticism I receive.  Please feel free to let me know when I make an error.

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Disclaimer:  _Pan and Rei, fellow mental patients at the Anime Nuthouse, are sitting at a table with Shorty playing spades.  The three of them are wearing maroon sweaters with the letters ANH stitched in BIG neon green type on the front, white shorts, and yellow flip flops.  All of a sudden, Rei gets a craving...._

**Rei**: I want jello.

**Pan**: I want jello.

**Rei**: Noooo, I want Jello.

**Pan**: No, I want Jello! 

**Rei**:  I wanted Jello first!

**Pan**: I wanted Jello FIRST!

**Rei**: I WANTED JELLO FIRST!

**Pan**: SHUT UP! I WANTED JELLO FIRST!

**Rei**: SHUT UP!  I WANTED JELLO FIRST YOU LIAR!

**Pan**: LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!  I WANTED JELLO FIRST!

**Shorty**: I WANT PURPLE OATMEAL!

**Rei**: O_o

**Pan**: o_O

**Shorty**: What?

**Rei** _mumbling_: and they say I'm crazy

**Pan**: So midget...

**Shorty**: It's Shorty

**Pan**: Ya, whatever..... whatcha in for?

**Shorty**: I......*_blink_*.....I have no idea.  One minute I'm in jail for not posting a disclaimer and the next thing I know, I'm shooting pictures with a shotgun.

**Pan**: You're weird.  No wonder you're in here *_snicker_*

**Shorty**: Look who's talking!  You're in here too!  Whatcha do.....run over green sheep or sumthin?!

**Pan**: *_gasp_* How'd you know!? *_glares at Rei_* I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL ANYONE!!

**Rei**: O_O I didn't say a thing!

**Pan**: LIAR!!  :o

_Pan jumps on Rei and they begin to fight.  Shorty sweatdrops.  Just then a nurse walks in._

**Hotaru**:   Shorty, time for your meeting with Setsuna.

**Shorty**: *_glomps Hotaru_* Get me out of here NOW!  I swear I'll never forget to say I don't own SM or GW or DBZ ever again!!  

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Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ IX

Midnight of Shadows

            "Usagi, would you pass me that wrench?" Duo asked from beneath a circuit board inside his gundam.  Usagi, who was currently sitting in the chair flipping through a manga absentmindedly, jumped at the sound of Duo's voice and placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"Nani?" she asked, "I didn't catch that."

            Duo sighed heavily before coming from beneath the board and retrieving the wrench himself.  He bent down to go back under the board, but stopped midway and looked at Usagi in confusion. 

            "What's wrong?  I've never seen you so... cheerless," His observation caught Usagi off guard.  Her brows rose at the inquiry, as she looked him in the eye.  A second later, their gazes broke as a small, sad, smile made it's way across her lips.

            "Gomen Duo, I'm just upset that's all.  Heero shouldn't have had to suffer because of me and I just can't help thinking about it."

            "Usagi, it's not your fault.  It would have happened to Heero any way.  He disobeyed the Doctor when he kept you along from a mission, and it was only a matter of time before he became tired of being the Dr's robot."  Usagi's expression remained doubtful as she looked at Duo.  Duo ran a hand through his bangs and sighed.

            "Look, he's probably alright by now.  Would it make you feel any better if you went to see him?"  Her eyes lit up for a second before doubt flitted across them.

            "You think he wants to see me?  I mean, I did get him in trouble and-"

            "I'm absolutely positive that he wants you to see him.  The baka's probably miserable without you!"  With those final reassuring words, the doubt seemed to fly out of Usagi's eyes as her old cheerfulness returned.  She grinned widely and threw herself at Duo in a crushing hug.

            "Arigatou Duo!  Ja matta ne!"  And with that, she was out the open hatchway and already riding down the lift.  Duo watched her descend to the ground with a smirk on his face.

            'If those two aren't crazy for each other, than I'm not Shinigami,' he thought ruefully.  He shook his head in amusement as the lift hit the ground and Usagi raced across the hanger to Wing Zero.  With a final glance to the happy girl, he turned and headed back into his gundam to finish repairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Heero wasn't expecting anybody to visit or assist him so it was quite a surprise, although he didn't show it, to hear his lift activating.  He stopped what he was doing to exit the hatch of the gundam and proceeded to the lift entrance on the catwalk.  With a cursory glance over the side, Heero immediately knew who it was.  He couldn't stop the grimace from appearing on his face as the lift came nearer and Usagi's expectant face greeted him with an all-star smile.  As the lift stopped in front of him, he crossed his arms and gave, what he hoped was, one of his most venomous glares.

            Usagi visibly gulped as she faced Heero.  Did he have to glare so openly?  She shook it off a moment later and pouted; her innocent eyes the quintessence of purity.  Heero's glare never faltered.

            "Heero," she said quietly, her head lowered after failing to make him lose the glare, "Are you angry with me?"  Her eyes peered from beneath long smoky lashes as her pink lips pouted even further, the look of guilt and sadness perfected from years of practice.

            Heero glared at her even more.  

            "Ne Heero?  Aren't you even going to answer me?"  Usagi had dropped her act a while ago and true sincerity shone in her eyes.  After a moment of silence and still no answer Usagi felt tears beginning to form in her eyes.

            "That bad?  I guess you're not forgiving me then.  Gomen nasai for getting you in trouble," she whispered sadly as two tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.  Heero's expression softened as he watched the tears cascading down her face.  She turned to go, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.  

            Usagi didn't turn around.  She absolutely could not.  What would he say to her after his terse actions only moments before?  She closed her eyes as tears of heartache slid down her cheeks.  She wished he would just let her go already.  There was no use in prolonging her grief.

            "Stay," was all he said, all he needed to say to be truthful.  Usagi slowly turned to face him once again, her eyes widened in surprise.  Her mouth quivered before she uttered a whispered, "Nani?"

            Heero stared at her, his face relaxed and his glare no longer there.  The endless blue of his eyes were momentarily unveiled to reveal the mix of emotions swirling in confusion.  And Usagi saw them, the things that were prominent from the rest: Forgiveness and Acceptance.  He didn't hate her.  It was if he had come to terms with an inner battle within himself and had finally let the antagonizer win.  

            "Stay," he said simply, his hand still held tightly to her wrist.  Without letting go, he began entering the hatch of his gundam, more or less pulling the girl with him.  Usagi was still in shock and didn't immediately respond, but once the shock wore off, a grin of pure joy lit up her visage and she suddenly raced ahead, this time pulling Heero in with her.  Heero gave a grunt, his stolid facade returning and let himself be guided.  Once inside, Usagi let go of him and jumped into the only chair in the gundam.  Heero shook his head in amusement as he watched her.  Usagi was simply fascinated with Wing Zero.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Lt. Tetsu, I trust that all evidence has been gathered from this place?"  The man addressed suddenly jumped up from his kneeled position by the door and saluted as Juniper approached.  

            His eyes darted from the woman to the area behind her as he answered, "Yes Ma'am, the squad has gathered any suspicious items and interviewed all employees of this opera house as you've requested.  We await further orders."

            Juniper nodded and saluted in return, "At ease," she replied off handedly as she proceeded past him into the bar.  With long sure steps, Juniper continued to give orders.

            "I want all crew to report to the shuttle immediately.  We leave as soon as all crew is accounted for and head for the Omega base.  This investigation is done."

            The lieutenant stumbled as he gaped at her, "Demo Colonel Juniper, what about General Krushrenada's orders to search all of Earth for the sensou tenshi.  Wha-" He stopped cold as Juniper's ruby gaze suddenly turned on him, her brows drawn down in anger.

            "I am the superior officer on this excursion.  Do not surmise to question my orders, just do it!" And with that she was off, a dumb-founded officer left in her wake.  The lieutenant gulped once and ran off to assemble the crew.  It was not good to keep Juniper waiting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Galaxia was amazed at the pace at which the crew assembled and set off for space.  In less than three hours, all two hundred soldiers and scientists assigned to her had regrouped, started the shuttle and shot into deep space.  

            She turned her gaze to the window to watch planet Earth grow smaller and smaller and sighed as she leaned back in her chair.  She couldn't keep up this facade very long.  Already members under her command where questioning her orders.  How long would it be before they caught onto her game and turned her into Treize?  She didn't want to think about it.  Just the thought sent shivers down her spine.

            At least she had thrown the crew off of Usagi's trail.  They were getting too close too quickly.  The extent of Oz's contacts was astounding.  If she wasn't careful, Treize would have Tenshi and nothing she did could stop him without giving up her identity. 

            A knock on her door brought Galaxia out of her thoughts. 

            "Come in," she called as she rose from her chair.  The door opened and MSG Nishikawa stepped in and saluted.  Galaxia saluted back.

            "Report," she ordered.

            "Ma'am, a personal space craft has intercepted ours and been granted permission to dock.  A woman claiming to work for Oz has asked permission to see you."  

            "Where is she," Galaxia asked, her interest piqued.

            "Outside the door, waiting for permission to enter Ma'am."

            "Very well then, show her in Master Sergeant.  Make sure we are not disturbed."

            MSG Nishikawa saluted and about faced.  Galaxia could hear faintly as he conversed with someone outside the door and moments later, a young woman in a lab coat entered and shut the door behind her.  Galaxia's eyes flashed in recognition as her gaze met the cornflower stare of the other woman.

            "Galaxia," the woman acknowledged, her long hair swaying as she nodded.  Her hair was the oddest color, the exact same hue as her eyes.  The light blue mixture gave the woman an icy and yet fragile appearance.  The smile that graced her lips illuminated her features to display her full beauty.

            "Aya," she replied.  The woman now known as Aya stepped away from Galaxia and traveled around the room to seat herself in the chair Galaxia had dwelled in only moments before.  Her white lab coat was left unbuttoned to display the oz uniform underneath.  She pushed her glasses up on her nose even as she leaned back into the chair and casually placed her feet upon the desk.

            "Nice room," she mused aloud as her gaze traveled over the office.  Galaxia wrinkled her nose in mock annoyance as she crossed the room and plopped in the chair directly in front of the desk.

            "Yes it is, but you're not here to discuss the decor so cut the bull."  Aya smirked at Galaxia's direct approach.

            "Tch tch, a little touchy this morning aren't we?"  The glare that ensued was not one of amusement.  Aya coughed in embarrassment and tried to keep the blush on her cheeks from inflaming.

            "Gomen, I was just trying to make small talk.  You're always in a rush these days. You'll catch a heart attack that way."

            Galaxia huffed and got up from the chair, choosing to pace instead, "Well it's necessary for me to be in a rush Aya.  Things are happening too soon for my comfort.  Karasuma sent me a message the other day.  Apparently the Peacecraft child has done what I asked and updated Tenshi's stats.  The girl's visions are coming more frequently and it won't be too long before she completely recalls all of her memories...and you know what'll happen then."

            "Hai, I do, but that doesn't explain your reasons for wanting to leave Oz sooner than planned. Nani?  Why do you look so surprised?  Why else would you send for me to come to the ship with a fully powered personal shuttle?"

            Galaxia sighed and resumed her pacing, which she had stopped at Aya's statement.

            "Ok, so maybe I should give you more credit. I forget how much smarter you are without evil influence.  I have to leave Oz.  Ever since Treize mysteriously reappeared after the battle with pilot 05, my influence over him has decreased drastically.  I thought, that once I rid Oz of C, that everything would be better, but things did not improve in the least.  Treize trusts me less and less these days, and I feel that if I return to Omega base today, I'll be executed for sure."

            "You do realize with your leaving the rest of us will have to cut our connections from Oz also?"

            Galaxia paused in her pacing to contemplate the woman's question.  After a while, she turned her head to look directly into Aya's eyes, her own a swirl of indecision and determination.

            "I understand that, but it's a gamble I'm willing to take.  I've been with Oz for fourteen years; it's time I moved on.  Oz no longer serves any purpose to our mission."

            "That's not true!  What about the ability to access their servers without suspicion, or the use of their equipment to serve our endeavors?  What about our work in the science department?  Do you know how long I've been working on th-"

            "Aya!  I know all this.  I know and trust me; I've taken everything into consideration.  Why do you think I entrusted Tenshi into the pilots' supervision?  It was far from a coincidence."

            Aya's eyes studied Galaxia as the woman continued pacing.  Aya's cheeks were flushed in restrained anger from being cut off and her eyes narrowed as she continued her entourage of questions, "Why then, Galaxia, did you entrust the Gundam pilots?"

            "Because," Galaxia paused in her pacing, "They have the facilities, the knowledge, and the skills that we need and more.  They have the wisdom of the creators of the Gundams to guide them and who wouldn't jump at the chance to utilize this knowledge for their own benefit.  I certainly would and did as far as I'm concerned." 

            Galaxia stopped then to let her words sink in.  Aya lowered her head in silent contemplation.  The pros outweighed the cons by a little, but she still felt that Galaxia was making an unwise decision.  The woman was not thinking of the consequences for her sudden action.

            Aya brought her hands to her bowed head and interlaced her fingers, the thumbs pinching the bridge of her nose.  With a huff she snapped her head up to address the other woman, "I see your point Galaxia, but I am against your decision.  I hope your actions do not interfere with the future."

            Galaxia smiled, "I have faith that they are for the best.  Now that we are agreed upon, we must go.  We have already wasted enough time here." Aya nodded in agreement and rose from the chair.

            "I think that's the wisest thing you've said since I've been here," she added with a chuckle as Galaxia gathered things into a travel bag: disks, folders, her laptop, and her personal accessories.  Galaxia glared at Aya as she pulled on her coat.  

            Without a word the two women exited the office and proceeded down the corridor to the hanger.  They passed various officers of rank and other scientist along the way but Galaxia offered them no more than a nod or salute.  A few scientists even greeted Aya, but the woman ushered them on claiming she was in a rush to attend to some business.  

            Eight minutes later they arrived at the personal shutter hanger.  Galaxia entered her security clearance code and the doors slid open with a hiss.  The room was oddly dark and devoid of any light.  Galaxia pondered at this for a moment but shrugged it off as a power saving technique.  They had taken no more than twenty steps into the room when the sound of rifles being cocked greeted them.  Galaxia and Aya immediately assumed fighters stances as the lights flicked on and they noticed their surroundings.  Every soldier on the ship stood lined up in front of them, rifles aimed and fingers ready to pull the trigger at the first command.  Galaxia suddenly straightened and glared at the soldiers.

            "What is the meaning of this?!  Stand down at once!"  The soldiers didn't even flinch or acknowledged that they'd even heard her command.

            "Gomen, Colonel Juniper, but such steps are necessary to detain your departure.  The General would not be too pleased if you were allowed to waltz right off the ship."

            Galaxia whirled around to face Lt. Tetsu whom stood by the door and pushed the button to close and lock it.  Galaxia's ruby gaze burned holes into the lieutenant's blue one and the man stepped back in uncertainty.

            "Who gave you these orders Lt. Tetsu?" she growled.  Tetsu swallowed once before seeming to regain his composure and standing up straighter.

            "These are direct orders of the General himself.  You think you've been the one in charge of this excursion the whole time?  Sadly, you've only been the play Commander.  Treize-sama knew he couldn't trust you anymore, not since Tenshi escaped, and he put me in charge of watching you and any suspicious activity was to be reported to home base.  I think this counts as suspicious activity, don't you?"

            Galaxia made a move towards the lieutenant and he held up his hand, stopping her.

            "I wouldn't do that if I were you Juniper.  I have permission to detain you by any means necessary, ANY.  One more step and they'll fire."  He waved his hands towards the troops behind her, but Galaxia paid him no mind.  Instead, she merely took two steps back and nodded her compliance.

            "Very well lieutenant, have it your way," she all but whispered, as her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Aya, I think it's time we left, don't you?"

            Aya smirked and took her place next to Galaxia, "I certainly agree."

            Before any of the soldiers could make a move, Galaxia and Aya disappeared in a ball of swirling gold and ice blue light.  Many of the troops dropped their guns in fear and some even went so far as to turn tale and run towards the closed door.  Heedless to the reactions of the soldiers, the ball continued to glow brighter and fiercer until it finally exploded in a blinding flash of unleashed power.  In place of Juniper and the scientist Aya stood two formidable looking warriors.  One, obviously Galaxia, was dressed in gold armor, from her chandelier like helmet to her knee-high boots.  Every plate of gold armor seemed strong enough to resist any attack.  The other, Aya, was dressed in a very-revealing outfit of pale blue, two thin ribbons crisscrossing her face with a star above her nose.  Two large winged shaped earrings covered her ears and a white sea shell was positioned in front of her throat.  Thin leggings of the same pale blue color traveled the length of her legs to end at two garters that clasped them to the outfit at the thighs. 

            Lt. Tetsu cried out in shock and threw his hands up in front of his face. "What manner of sorcery is this!" he exclaimed in horror.

            Galaxia smirked in confidence, "Not sorcery Tetsu, magic.  If you think this is spectacular, wait until the Messiah reawakens.  The world shall know a power like no other and nothing you mortals can do will stop it!"

            "Fire!  Fire dammit all of you! FIRE!" Tetsu screamed even as he began punching the command to open the door into the keypad.  

            Galaxia's eyes suddenly turned a dark omniscient purple as a scythe appeared in her hands.

            "Silence wall," she whispered and a dark dome materialized around the two women in time to deflect the bullets coming their way. "Now!" she yelled to Aya.

            "Galactica Tsunami!" Aya's hands glowed an icy blue before releasing a tidal wave of water.  The troops cried out in fear as they were swept away by the wave of water to be washed out the now open door.

            "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Galaxia shouted with a green glint in her eye and watched in satisfaction as the electric ball hit the water and electrocuted all within it. She turned to Aya then, "Come on, the ship won't last much longer."  

            Aya nodded in agreement and led Galaxia to a small spacecraft in the furthest section of the docking bay.  Within seconds they were inside and powered down.  Aya immediately moved to the front and booted up the ships system.  Galaxia joined her moments later and plopped into the passenger seat.

            "Buckle up!" Warned Aya as the shuttle lurched forward and raced around the other shuttles in the docking bay on it's way to the exit.

            ***BOOOOOOMMM!!!***

            Galaxia glanced out the window in trepidation as she saw the surging explosion racing towards the ship from behind.

            "Hurry!  The ship is exploding!"

            "I'm going as fast as I can!"  Aya suddenly launched three rockets toward the shut door of the docking bay and had the satisfaction of seeing it explode.  The sudden exposure to space caused the little shuttle to be sucked forward ahead of the explosion behind.  Aya gave a scream of alarm as they barely avoided a falling piece of metal.  Seconds later they were propelled forward by the last explosion as the ship finally blew to bits. 

            After a few terse moments of silence, Galaxia ventured to speak, "That was fun huh?"

This time it was Aya's turn to glare at the older woman.

            "If this is what you call fun, I never want to go know what you consider exhilarating." 

            Galaxia giggled and settled back further into her seat.

            "So, captain, where to now?"  Aya turned the ship slowly and punched in new coordinates into the navigational system.

            "L3, we're to meet the others and discuss our next move.  By the way, we found Nezu.  We have her under sedation until you're able to awaken her."

            Galaxia's eyes flashed briefly in pain before she closed them, "You know I hate doing it.  I hate taking people out of their normal lives just to fulfill a purpose."

            "I know," Aya answered softly, "But we come to accept it eventually.  Just remember what we're fighting for Gala-chan.  Never lose the light of hope."

            A wistful smile made it's way onto Galaxia's face as she sighed, "Arigatou Aya," her brow then raised in amusement, "Gala-chan?  That's cute," then she yawned and snuggled into the chair, "Wake me up when we get there.  I need some shut-eye."

            Aya laughed merrily, "Sure thing boss."  Her reply was a snore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YAY!  Another chapter done!  I hope you all liked it.  By the way, Aya is an actual character from Sailor Moon.  So are Karasuma and Nezu.  If you can guess who they are kudos to you.  I do think I'm the first to use these characters in a crossover fic. ^_~

Till next time!

Shorty :}

I added my background info chapter to the end of this chapter.  Don't read if you don't want to.

Minna, I realized something when I was writing this that I didn't notice earlier.  I never really specified when this story takes place in the Gundam Universe.  In order for me to continue I need to fix a few things.

I found it hard to classify this story since several elements in it suggested that it takes place in Gundam Wing - the series, somewhere in the middle.   

· One, all the boys are 16.  

· Two, Treize is alive and still the head of Oz.  

· Three, Noin is heading Earth's forces as mentioned by Relena in chapter 7. 

· Four, the boys are staying at Quatre's mansion. 

· Five, the gundams are fighting Mobile Dolls and not suits.  Mobile dolls were not introduced until Romefeller came along. 

· Six, Heero is operating Wing Zero and not Gundam Wing.  Wing Zero is the rebuilt version of Wing.  It has the zero system in it. 

· Seven, Dr. J and all the Doctors are still alive.

· Eight, the story is just inconsistent.

So, after much deliberation, I've decided to place the story after the initial Gundam Wing verse.  It takes place a few weeks after the end of Gundam Wing.

As to how Sensou Tenshi Usagi occurs after Gundam Wing, will be explained in the course of the story.

I finally figured out where I wanted to go with this fic after doing a bit of research of my own.  Now I think I am ready to finally finish it, but not for a few chapters yet.  So all I ask is stay tuned.  

Shorty's on a mission!


End file.
